Rebel Like You
by Solaryllis
Summary: Gale hates the Capitol enough to fuel multiple rebellions, and Madge's access to the inner workings of District 12 is unparalleled.  Maybe they really are the beginnings of a rebellion in District 12.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Rebel Like You

Rating: T

Summary: Gale and Madge became friends during the 74th Hunger Games, and resolved to work together afterward to prevent District 12 from having to send tributes to the Capitol again. The story of their attempts to start a District 12 rebellion and how they adjust to the return of Katniss and Peeta. Set after _The Hunger Games_; sequel to my fic "Not Yet a Hurricane."

Characters/Pairings: Gale/Madge mostly, background Katniss/Peeta, Katniss/Gale (aka, same mess as the books). Also featuring the Hawthorne family, the Undersees, the Everdeens, Haymitch, and others in District 12.

Timeline: Starts after the 74th Hunger Games

Spoilers: All 3 books

Disclaimer: Not mine, no matter how much I wish otherwise

A/N: Title inspired by the Dandy Warhols' song "Bohemian Like You" (and yes, intended to be somewhat tongue in cheek)

Part 1

Rory is rambling happily to Gale about how big Katniss' new house is going to be and how much food she'll have once she moves to the Victor's Village. He and Gale had been walking home from the butcher's and Rory begged for them to take a detour to look at the Victor's Village. It's only been two days since Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games; soon they'll be making their final appearances in the Capitol and returning to District 12.

"Oh, look! They're getting a house ready for her already!" Rory sounds excited to be witnessing these preparations. A man Gale doesn't recognize — probably from the Capitol — is standing on the porch of one of the unoccupied houses, scribbling something on a clipboard.

Gale scans the rest of the Village, his eyes landing on the only occupied dwelling, Haymitch Abernathy's house. Apparently the Capitol's benevolence to victors does not extend to assisting with yardwork or painting. Gale can't imagine Katniss turning into an idle drunk the way Haymitch has… No, she'll probably be uncomfortable with the opulence. And Mellark will undoubtedly be more than willing to help her with the transition, of course. They'll probably coo at each other over elaborate, romantic feasts and be just as nausea-inducing back in District 12 as they were during the Games.

"Let's go," Gale says, nudging Rory.

"Do you think the Everdeens will still invite us over for holidays?" Rory asks, still staring longingly at the looming homes.

"Probably," Gale says. At least at first, until the disparity in resources becomes too awkward. How could his family turn up with an offering of wild dog when the Everdeens will now be able to eat delicacies each night and won't have to settle for dog?

"I can't wait," Rory says and Gale checks to make sure his brother isn't actually drooling. Nope, just starry-eyed. Gale foresees some problems with expectations and comparisons… They watch a man wearing a work jumper join the man with the clipboard, pulling a long wire from the interior of the house. The men confer briefly and then disappear inside.

Gale puts his arm around Rory to steer him away from the Village back along the lane that leads into town. The square is bustling with preparations for the series of official celebrations that will greet Katniss and Peeta when they return. A team is stringing up bright banners from the large screen still on the square, and other teams are assembling long tables and unpacking large crates. The screen is showing highlights from the Games, but Gale averts his eyes, determined to forget the details of the awfulness.

Gale notices Madge standing with her father, who's speaking to a merchant couple near the Justice Building. Gale maneuvers through the crowd, Rory still in tow, and catches her eye. She deftly excuses herself and meets Rory and Gale on the corner.

"Rory, this is Madge," Gale says, pushing Rory forward slightly.

Rory looks at Gale like he's crazy. "I know who she is — she's the mayor's daughter."

Madge smiles awkwardly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rory."

Gale prods Rory and says quietly with a smile, "_That's_ what you're supposed to say when you meet somebody new." Rory is still watching Gale like he's confused about what's happening. Gale turns his attention back to Madge. "How's everything going?"

"Busy, busy. Everything has to be perfect."

"Of course it does. So… does the mayor need anything he doesn't have?"

Madge raises her eyebrows. "Maybe some wild berries? Tonight?"

Rory looks alarmed to hear them speaking so openly about black market trading, but Gale just nods. Madge notices Rory's uneasiness and smiles at him, and then she returns her gaze to Gale. "We look forward to it. Anytime after 8 if you can manage."

"Whatever the mayor wants," Gale says with a grin.

When Rory and Gale continue their walk home, Rory asks in amazement how long the mayor has been buying poached fruit.

"Oh, for a long time. But it's berry season now and he can't seem get enough." Gale realizes he's sheltered Rory from the details of just how many laws he and Katniss routinely flout. Rory and the others were too young for him to trust their discretion not to say anything unintentionally in public. But Rory is getting older… Katniss was 12 when she and Gale first started hunting together. Maybe Rory can handle it. Of course, Rory doesn't need to know that tonight's transaction is just a cover.

#

When Madge opens the back door that evening, she looks uncomfortable. In response to Gale's questioning expression, she throws the door open widely and says loudly, "Please, come in. Thank you so much for dropping this off." She pulls the pail out of his hands and holds the door open for him.

He walks into the kitchen in confusion, and sees two unfamiliar men in suits standing next to the bar with Mayor Undersee. The Undersees' maid Lulu is mixing drinks for the three men, who are deep in conversation. The mayor glances at Gale, but the suited men ignore his presence.

Madge sets the berries on the counter and gestures for Gale to follow her into the next room, where the Undersees apparently do their formal dining and entertaining. The table hasn't been cleared yet; it looks like Lulu has a long night ahead of her. Madge keeps walking until they're in the next room, which to Gale looks like something in between a living room and a dining room, and is dominated by a large piano.

"We can sit in the parlor," Madge says. "I'm sorry; my father has more visitors tonight than I expected. Actually, I don't know that he expected them either. Several people from the Capitol arrived early to ensure preparations are going smoothly."

Gale feels extremely out of place and doesn't sit down. This parlor looks like it's reserved for the stuffiest occasions, and he's wearing his hunting clothes. A man and woman wearing dark suits walk past the parlor, ignoring Gale and Madge.

"Full house today," he observes.

"Apparently our house also needed to be upgraded in order to be suitable for the Victors' Banquet." Madge sounds insulted. "There have been work teams hammering and drilling all day." She looks at him apologetically. "I thought they'd be finished by now. I was really looking forward to talking to you tonight. I've learned some really interesting things lately."

Gale suspects from her pointed look that she's uncovered something they could use to undermine next year's reaping, but can't talk about it because the probability of being overheard by all these visitors is too high. As if on cue, two men in overalls shuffle down the hallway past the parlor. Her house is starting to feel like the central market on a Saturday, there are so many people. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

Madge glances at the darkness outside hesitantly but agrees. "Let me tell Lulu," she says and then vanishes.

Gale stands and nervously looks around the ornate room. There are large portraits of all three Undersees (clearly done when Madge was much younger, as indicated by the missing tooth in her smile and perky blond pigtails), and one wall is dominated by a landscape painting of a mountain bigger than any Gale has ever seen. He's interrupted from his inspections by a man knocking on walls and dragging a spool of wire down the hallway. Gale recognizes him as the same man who was working on one of the houses at the Victor's Village, but the man ignores Gale. Just another district rat.

Madge returns and leads him to the front door. He feels ten times more relaxed the second he's back in the cool night air and exhales loudly. "How can you stand all those extra people in your house all the time?"

"My father serves at the pleasure of President Snow," she explains. "If the president wants more telecommunications links in more rooms, who are we to say no? There will be a lot of Capitol representatives staying at our house during the Victor celebrations. I guess they can't live without their programs."

Yes, heaven forbid they not be able to watch the Hunger Games highlights or whatever other tripe the Capitol broadcasts once people's attentions start to wander from the most recent spectacle. At the same time, it starts to make sense to Gale why the Undersees' house is so large for only three people; it's also functioning as a hotel.

"So. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Madge glances at the groups of people standing in the town square. "I'm in the mood to visit my aunt's grave. How about a walk to the cemetery?"

Gale nods. Must be good, if she's that concerned about privacy. They walk down the lane that leads just outside of town to the cemetery.

When they're far enough from the town square for comfort, Madge starts to talk. "President Snow is furious that there are two victors and has been blaming my father for being so lax on security in District 12. He thinks Katniss is just the beginning and that people can get away with anything out here."

Gale shudders to think what would happen to the residents of District 12 if the Peacekeepers _were_ more strict. His own family and Katniss' would have starved several times over if the Peacekeepers didn't tolerate some degree of poaching and black market activity.

"Apparently security is much more rigid in other districts," Madge adds. She swallows nervously. "They actually follow through on executions."

Gale feels sick, followed quickly by a flutter of anticipation. Maybe District 12 can be one of the first districts to rebel against the Capitol, if its residents are more accepting of breaking unjust laws. Maybe he and Madge could do more than just stop the reaping next year. District 12 in its entirety could rebel — officials included. He wonders how open Mayor Undersee would be to leading a rebellion…

"What does your father say to these accusations?"

"He says the president is paranoid and seeing things that aren't there. He uses nicer language, of course, but essentially he's been trying to tell the president not to read too much into there being two victors this year. It isn't every year that tributes fall in love while competing in the Hunger Games — not exactly a romantic setting, right? — and that people do crazy things when they're in love."

"Yeah," Gale says with a frown, grateful for the darkness of the lane so Madge won't see how much it hurts to even hear the theory. "Do you think he really believes that?" Gale wants to ask how much he himself believes that theory, but can never bring himself to answer.

"I don't know if he does or not. He doesn't tell _me_ any of this. I've been listening at the vents…"

"Well, it sounds like your father and the president don't exactly see eye to eye on everything…"

"No, I suppose not."

"What do you think it would take for your father to turn against the president?" Gale asks the question cautiously, aware that if he were Madge and someone asked him that question, he'd have knocked the person's teeth out before they finished the sentence. Of course, Gale's father had fairly openly loathed President Snow so no one with half a brain would have asked. But, even if his father had adored the president, the question and the implications behind it are dangerous.

Luckily, Madge seems to be more even-tempered and not exactly the punching type. After a long pause, she finally answers. "My family is entirely dependent on the Capitol. Just like the rest of District 12. And the other districts."

"But is your father… angry?"

"Sad, mostly. I think he tries to do what he can to minimize the Capitol's interest in us."

Gale sighs. Dead end. He didn't really expect anything different than what he's observed on his own. The mayor got to be where he is by going along with things and is unlikely to develop a rebellious streak at this point. Gale wonders if _Madge_ had been sent to the Capitol as a tribute if the mayor's outlook would change… Rigging the lottery for her name to be selected seems impossible, but she could volunteer… She's undoubtedly stronger than most girls from the Seam purely because she never goes hungry, but Gale doubts she has the kind of ferocity or skills to triumph in the Hunger Games; if she volunteered it would be a suicide mission. Unless she trained… He feels guilty for thinking she should volunteer and sets aside the idea for now.

"Anything else?"

"Maybe… I don't know if this means anything or not, but my father has been on edge more than usual. He's always miserable during the Games — we all are, in the districts, I guess — but afterward he usually goes back to normal, and he hasn't yet." She looks over at Gale as though she's embarrassed about something and then adds, "It was almost as though he was scared, not happy, when they won. He wouldn't let me go outside to the town square until he'd checked in with his contacts in the Capitol."

"What? Why not?" Did the mayor actually think that district residents, happy both their tributes had miraculously survived ritual slaughter, posed some sort of _threat_ to his precious daughter?

"I don't know," Madge says, shaking her head. "Whenever I ask, he brushes me off. I guess he was trying to protect me, but it doesn't make sense."

Gale is offended on behalf of District 12. "Everyone was happy — no, _overjoyed_ — that night! What possible threat was there?"

"Maybe he didn't think the people here were the threat," Madge says. "Now that I know the president is mad about there being two victors, maybe my father thought there could be some sort of retaliation by the Capitol… But obviously nobody here had any influence over what was happening in the arena, so blaming us would have been absurd. And I don't know what my father could have been scared of… I mean, the worst thing they could do would be to send more Peacekeepers, but then that gets into budget overruns..." Gale is irate to hear that in the face of a threat to everyone in District 12 — even if it was only the idea of a threat — the mayor was only interested in protecting his little princess instead of all of his people. But he bites his tongue from being too critical because he doesn't want to risk Madge getting mad at him and not telling him whatever she's finding out.

They walk in silence the remainder of the way to the cemetery, and then separate to pay homage to different stones. In the moonlight, Gale can barely make out the markers for his father and Katniss' father and their crewmates who were killed in the same explosion. The Seam's part of the cemetery isn't organized by family, but chronologically according to month and year of death; it's more efficient that way and ensures that the insults continue after death. He doesn't spend long at his father's stone because this piddly little cemetery isn't what helps him remember his father. Being in the woods is what helps keep his father's memory alive for Gale.

It looks like Madge does get some kind of meaning from the cemetery, though. He sees her sitting in front of a large granite stone, running her fingers over the engraved name. He walks over and sits next to her on the ground. The name is Maysilee Donner.

"I never met her," Madge says quietly, "but most of the time I feel like she's the most important person in our house."

Gale wonders just how haunted Mrs. Undersee is by the ghost of her murdered twin. And how did she even get to the point of getting married and having Madge? He thinks of his own mother and how fiercely she loves him and his brothers and sister, and can't imagine having a parent who prioritizes the dead over the living. He waits quietly until Madge finishes her mourning and stands up. She appears to have made up her mind to think of other topics, and on the walk back she describes to him all the various events planned for the next few days in honor of Katniss and Peeta's victory. He knows most of it from the Everdeens, but lets her chatter anyway because it seems to make her feel better.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

On the fourth morning after Katniss and Peeta's amazing win, Madge wakes up to a cheerful tune filtering through the house from the piano downstairs. She feels herself smiling at home for the first time in days, and burrows into her sheets to enjoy feeling safe and comforted… If her mother is feeling well enough to play again, it means some of the strain of the past weeks is starting to fade. Her mother's headaches have always been most severe during the Hunger Games, and ever since childhood Madge has blamed the Games for her mother's pained disappearances. Add in her father's anxiousness during the Games — tense before the reaping and distant until the District 12 tributes died — and Madge thinks it's no wonder she usually feels like an orphan during the annual horror show (not that she needed any additional reasons to loathe them beyond their own awfulness).

Madge would be willing to bet anything that the reaction to the surprise, two-person District 12 victory was more subdued in the Undersee house than anywhere else in the district. She and her father had been watching the broadcast — her mother was upstairs suffering in a darkened bedroom — and Madge had been ecstatic about getting both Katniss and Peeta back, overjoyed that neither of their families would have to go through the kind of pain and loss that Madge's mother has had to endure. And what a proud moment for District 12, so long disregarded by the other districts. As far as Madge knew, no other district had ever gotten both of their tributes back — maybe Twelve would finally start getting some respect!

Madge's father had not been excited, though. He had remained stone-faced, staring at the television screen, and only snapped out of his trance when Madge started to open the front door so she could join the beginning of festivities in the town square. Upon hearing the door squeak, he had yelled at her to close it, used what Madge thought of as his 'scary mayor' tone to order her not to leave the house, and blockaded himself in his study upstairs. Madge had parked herself in her usual window-watching spot on the living room couch, sitting on her knees and resting her head on her arms on the back of the couch, watching everyone else celebrate. (_How much of her life did she spend watching life through that window? She didn't want to think about it.)_

Madge had eventually ventured upstairs to find out why her father wouldn't let her leave, but he was on the phone so instead she had tiptoed into her mother's room to relay the good news about Katniss and Peeta. Her mother's reaction had been even more disconcerting than her father's: she looked terrified and confirmed that Madge was not to leave the house. No amount of pleading had had any effect, and Madge was forced to wait for her father to get off the phone, watching the celebrations from the window in her bedroom, feeling sorry for herself and thinking that this was why people thought she was a snob… Eventually her father had gotten off the phone and, after Madge pestered him, let her join the celebration. She had felt shy as soon as she was finally on the street — she didn't actually know many people well enough to start dancing with them or celebrating. But Gale, transformed from the hostile, worried version of himself from the past weeks into an exuberant, lighthearted version, had pulled her into a group of dancing people and showed her the right steps, and soon she was having so much fun she was able to lose herself and feel like just one of the sea of happy celebrants, not the girl whose parents reacted strangely to joyous news.

At some point, her father had retrieved her because her mother was having a panic attack and refused to believe him that Madge was safe. Even after Madge had quietly assured her that she'd just been outside dancing with the other townspeople, her mother had started crying even harder and yelling about how they would _never be able to keep both of them_ and _look what they did to Haymitch_! Madge had been scared, not to mention confused; she was pretty sure that _Haymitch_ was what had happened to Haymitch. Nobody was holding a gun to his head forcing him to drink all that white liquor. She wasn't sure who 'they' was, either — the Capitol? Madge's father's reassurances accomplished nothing, and Madge suspected he'd given her mother a shot of morphling when Madge was out of the room getting some water because by the time she returned her mother was drowsy and subdued.

After deflecting all of her questions about why her mother was upset – not even confirming that missing Aunt Maysilee was part of it, when that seemed obvious – her father had finally suggested she go back to the party outside. Feeling a little bolder than before, Madge had wandered through the knots of people and didn't realize she was looking for Gale until she spotted him, sitting on the side of a mini-hill listening to a boy his age play a fiddle. He was smiling and tapping his foot to the music and gestured for her to come over when she caught his eye. It was almost like having a friend. She had joined the group of people listening to the fiddle player and became entranced with the fast notes and swirling melodies, trying to forget the heavy darkness of her own house.

The tense atmosphere at home had persisted after that night, although the intrusion of workers and representatives from the Capitol had somewhat masked it. But the light clinking of notes on the piano this morning signifies the end, or at least promises that today marks an improvement… Madge hopes it lasts, and that the extension of Hunger Games festivities — even for something as happy as having both victors returned safely — won't trigger her mother to have a relapse…

By the time Madge pulls herself out of bed and gets ready for the day, her mother has relocated from the piano to a desk where she's sorting through a box of index cards. Madge recognizes the box as her mother's method of keeping track of which Capitol visitors she usually assigns to each of the guest rooms. Madge hugs her mother in greeting and asks if she's feeling better.

"Yes, sweetie. Thanks for asking." Her mother doesn't look up, which is normal. Madge knows her mother prefers to think of her headache spells as isolated incidents instead of a chronic condition, and wants everyone to just forget about them as though they never happened.

"Are more people staying here?"

Her mother nods. "We'll need to start using the third floor rooms today. The Victor Presentation broadcast has been announced for tomorrow, and at least ten more Victor Committee members are arriving on the afternoon train."

"Ten? Really?" It seems like a lot of people to Madge, even for the Capitol.

"Double the victors, double the handlers," her mother murmurs, digging through the box again. "And that's just the people arriving today. There will be more after the events conclude in the Capitol. Some will stay in the empty houses in the Victor's Village, although I'm sure we'll hear _plenty_ about the lack of amenities out there."

Madge thinks they always hear _plenty_ about the lack of everything in District 12 when Capitol people visit, which thankfully isn't often, but she doesn't say anything and asks her mother how she can help. She's assigned the task of retrieving the extra bedclothes from storage in the closets in the guest rooms on the third floor. She has to go into some rooms that she suspects nobody has been in for years.

In the closet of a room on the third floor, she comes across a worn blue box with her father's name on it. Opening it, she finds yellowed papers and fraying booklets. She flips through the papers and recognition slowly dawns: these are the articles he used to read to her when she couldn't sleep.

Madge pulls the box with her onto the bed to look at them more closely, feeling a comforting sort of nostalgia envelop her. When she was little, her father used to read aloud from these papers to her when her mother was feeling ill. Now that Madge is older, she suspects he didn't know what to do with her as a child, functioning effectively as a single parent so often due to his wife's ailment. He could read to her from his own reading material and she'd be so happy to have one of her parents paying attention to her, she didn't care that she had no idea what the words meant. She just liked sitting with her father on the big couch in his study, and listening to the gravelly sound of his voice. It all seemed government-related somehow — very boring — and usually she'd end up falling asleep… When she got older, she'd started demanding that he read the bedtime stories her mother typically selected, featuring fuzzy farm animals or talking trains. But sometimes when her mother was in particularly bad shape and Madge couldn't fall asleep on her own, he would pull out the old articles, which had always had a soothing, soporific effect on her.

She wonders why they're being stored in this dusty guest room on the third floor, not in his study, until she starts reading a few of them and realizes that they're probably not something the people from the Capitol would be happy to see. The one she's holding is about the virtues of citizen participation in government decision-making. Madge has a feeling these articles don't recommend using a lottery to force children to kill each other once a year on television.

Madge becomes aware of Lulu calling for her from the stairs, so she stows the box back in the closet and grabs the sheets she was supposed to be retrieving. But as soon as she gets a free moment later, she returns for the box, intending to give it a new home in her own closet. _Better that way so no one from the Capitol sees it_, she justifies, because, of course, Madge is curious herself about the articles.

She hesitates outside her father's study — she wants to ask him why the papers are hidden away and if he can explain to her some of what it all means. A lot of the words she saw are unfamiliar. But she doesn't want to risk him confiscating the articles before she has a chance to read them, so she continues to her room and hides them safely behind some old dolls in her closet.

Maybe the articles will describe something interesting she can tell Gale about. She isn't sure yet what kind of plan he might be coming up with to avert the next reaping in District 12, but he seems to be thinking big and surely will come up with something soon. He's smart and strong and, most importantly, would never stand by passively while his loved ones spend their days crying into pillows, debilitated by past traumas. And Madge is determined to be like that now, too.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3 - Homecoming

On the night of the televised recap ceremony, Gale and his family attend the viewing with the rest of District 12 in the town square. It isn't fun watching the emotional reunion between Peeta and Katniss — the kissing goes on for way too long by any objective standard and he thinks surely even the Capitol crowds will tire of watching teenagers make out — but when has he ever accurately predicted anything about people in the Capitol? He's also a little disgusted that Katniss looks nothing like her normal self. Gone is the fierce, protective warrior; instead there's a skinny little girl clinging to her boyfriend and letting him do all the talking.

The interviews the next night are just as bad. Peeta still acts as spokesperson while Katniss curls up next to him, hides her head in his shirt, and worries about his leg. Gale can barely believe the real Katniss could have been erased in just the few days since she saved herself and Peeta. The big question looming in his mind is what she'll be like when she returns…

Posy falls asleep during the interviews, so Gale picks her up to carry her home. As he's leaving the square, he sees Madge watching him closely from her seat with her parents, her mother making a rare public appearance. He suspects Madge is concerned about his reaction to the broadcast and, surprisingly, he doesn't feel irritated. He smiles resignedly at her as he leaves and is pleased to see her face brighten in response before she turns her attention back to the conversation her father is having with a man from the Capitol. Hopefully she's been getting some useful information.

#

Gale distracts himself from staring at the empty train tracks by watching Prim anxiously tie, undo, and re-tie the ribbon holding her hair back. Katniss' train from the Capitol should be arriving any second now, and he's convinced himself that the train won't turn up if he's watching the tracks. He understands Prim's nervousness; he's on edge himself. The Katniss from the broadcasts seems like a different person and he can't square her with the Katniss he knows. He needs to see her in person to determine for himself just how much she's changed before he can let go of the Katniss he thought he knew.

Eventually a distant whistle announces the train's approach, and as it slowly rolls into the station the crowd surges forward, with more reporters than Gale's ever seen in his life standing closest to the tracks, cameras poised. He's struck by how much they look like troops brandishing their weapons, waiting for the signal to attack. They get it: Haymitch disembarks first, and with a flourish announces Katniss and Peeta, who step forward in unison and raise their joined hands above their heads, triggering a lightning storm of flash bulbs.

Katniss is scanning the platform furiously, and Gale can see the exact moment when she spots Prim because her face loses all trace of composure. She drops Peeta's hand and practically jumps off the stairs onto the platform, swooping Prim into a fierce hug that Mrs. Everdeen joins seconds later. Gale feels his own eyes stinging and blinks quickly before anyone notices. Peeta is a little slower getting down the stairs because of his leg, but he's soon engulfed by a horde of family and friends as well.

Mrs. Everdeen surfaces from the hug and directs Katniss' attention to her 'cousins,' gesturing toward Gale's family. Katniss looks up in confusion, but her eyes find Gale's almost immediately and he feels a jolt of familiarity when she squints at him for a microsecond to communicate _what the hell?_ She catches on quickly, though, and seconds later is hugging him.

He thinks he might be squeezing all the air out of her he's hugging her so tightly. She's skinnier than she should be and smells different than he remembers, but it's really her and everything feels right with the world again for at least these few seconds. Well, longer than a few seconds, judging by the weepy expressions on his mother and Mrs. Everdeen when he finally opens his eyes again. Someone clears their throat and Katniss slowly steps back, eyes red and shiny. She stares at him for a moment and then lets herself be enveloped by Gale's mother and Posy. Then Rory and Vick hug her, and Greasy Sae and Madge…

Soon Katniss is too far away from him again, surrounded by other people. But she turns around often enough, seeking him out, that he lets himself think that she's just as desperate for reassurance as he is that she's really back in District 12 where she belongs.

#

Other than a quick greeting, Madge initially doesn't get a chance to talk to Katniss at the Victory Banquet since so many people are clamoring to get their pictures taken with the victors before the meal starts. That leaves Madge with plenty of opportunity to observe in the background, her specialty.

She starts out hovering near her father and a strict-looking woman she recognizes as being from Central Administration in the Capitol, someone she knows her father reports to because her mother made a point of assigning this woman one of the best guest rooms. The woman notices Madge's proximity and pauses mid-complaint about the tardiness of the next shipment of decorations and food. "Yes? Do you need something?"

Madge shakes her head and worries for a moment she'll get in trouble for intruding, but her father just tells her to run along and shifts his stance to block her from the conversation.

"Is this your daughter, Clifton?" The woman steps around Madge's father to inspect Madge. "I haven't seen you since you were a tiny little thing." Usually when people make those types of remarks there's nostalgic ring, but Madge hears only matter of factness. She doesn't know if she's supposed to respond — she doesn't remember this woman and saying that seems rude.

Her father responds for her, though. "Still our little pixie. Go check on the hors d'oeuvres, Madge." Now Madge knows he's annoyed at her; that was a clear dismissal. Dealing with the food is definitely not her job.

"I'd like to introduce her to someone," the woman says, signaling to a young man nearby, who promptly ends the conversation he'd been having. He's several years older than Madge, but is still easily the youngest of the visiting officials. She introduces him as Simon Barker, one of her newest deputies. "You're probably eager to visit with someone a little closer to your age," the woman tells Madge with a cold smile before turning her attention back to Madge's father and waving over another person from the Capitol.

"You could have just introduced yourself," Simon says, grinning. "No need to be shy." It takes Madge a moment to realize he's teasing her. He has the Capitol accent and a cocky demeanor, two things that Madge can't stand, and having to talk to him appears to be her punishment for trying to eavesdrop. Simon corners her for the next 20 minutes to tell her about some kind of training program in the Capitol available to select individuals, hinting that if she plays her cards right (sucks up to the right people, is what Madge hears), she could be eligible, as the daughter of a mayor. She feigns interest for as long as she can manage and then excuses herself to check on the hors d'oeuvres, suddenly much more concerned about them.

On her way to the kitchen, she sees her mother and Haymitch talking quietly in the parlor away from the main festivities, although they grow silent when they notice Madge in the doorway. She could swear Haymitch glares at her for a moment before he shakes his head, curses softly and takes a deep drink from his glass. Madge hears him mutter, "I don't know how you look at her, Marilyn," before he stands up and brushes past her to return to the party.

Madge stares at her mother in confusion. Everyone seems to give Haymitch a pass on normal levels of civility, but Madge would like to think her mother would be more disturbed by an insult to her daughter. Instead, her mother is looking at Madge sadly. Madge knows her mother and Haymitch have some strange kind of friendship related to Haymitch and Aunt Maysilee being in the Hunger Games together, but her mother never says anything about him and they seem to go years without talking. Then out of nowhere he'll turn up again.

"Mom? Does he mean I look like Aunt Maysilee?" She hears her voice waver and wishes she didn't sound so fragile.

Her mother nods distractedly. "To him you do. She was your age."

Madge feels herself get dizzy as she considers the awful prospect that her own face could be contributing to her mother's frequent retreats into darkness. That must be why there are no pictures of Aunt Maysilee displayed anywhere in the house… Madge herself doesn't know what her aunt looked like.

"Oh, sweetie," her mother says, noticing Madge's distress and walking over to her. "Oh, no, no. Don't pay any attention to Haymitch. To me, you look like yourself." She gives Madge a hug, but Madge doesn't feel any better, remembering the way both Haymitch and her mother had looked at her. After a few moments her mother pulls away and says, "We'd better get back. Can't keep our guests waiting."

The thought of being pleasant for the 'guests' or having to talk to that Simon guy again strains even Madge's high tolerance for politeness, so after her mother leaves she sneaks up the back set of stairs to the family room where all the photo boxes are stored. She needs to judge for herself how much she looks like her aunt. After some rummaging, she finds snapshot of two girls with their arms around one another in front of the old sweet shop. Madge recognizes her mother from other photographs and sees that Haymitch is right: Madge does look like her aunt. Through some trick of genetics, Madge looks slightly more like Maysilee than her mother at that age. No wonder Haymitch can't stand the sight of her; Madge is surprised her mother can.

A floorboard squeaks in the hallway outside the closet and Madge freezes, hoping it's not her mother – she doesn't want to have to explain what she's doing and cause even more distress than she does apparently by merely existing. She quietly returns the photos and box to their place and peers into the hallway, where she sees Katniss sitting on the top of the stairs, resting her head on her hands and practically broadcasting exhaustion.

Madge joins Katniss on the stairs, the same squeaky floorboard alerting Katniss to Madge's presence. "Hey," Madge says gently.

"Hi." Katniss smiles and it looks authentic, but she also seems tired. "I needed a break… What are you doing up here?"

Madge smiles back weakly. "Looking for something."

Katniss just nods and Madge remembers how much she appreciates that Katniss never pries for details. Then Madge notices Katniss is wearing the mockingjay pin, and feels something in her chest leap as she realizes _it worked_… Aunt Maysilee had worn the pin during her own Hunger Games, and afterward it became one of Madge's mother's most treasured reminders of her sister. On Madge's first reaping day, her mother had tearfully fastened the pin to Madge's dress, assuring her that Aunt Maysilee would be looking out for her in the arena if she were selected. When Katniss volunteered to take Prim's place, Madge had passed on the pin, hoping Aunt Maysilee would look out for Katniss in the arena the way she would have for Madge. _And she did._

Madge links her arm in Katniss'. "I'm glad you're back." Katniss makes a choked sound and says she's glad to be back, too. They sit quietly on the stairs and Madge feels a swell of sympathy for Katniss, who's only ever minded her own business, still having to deal with being fawned over and photographed even though the Games are over.

After a few minutes, Peeta appears on the bottom step, squinting up into the dim light. "Katniss?" He says hesitantly. "Oh, hi, Madge, good to see you." He smiles warmly at her and she smiles back. She's always liked Peeta. They'd been desk partners in first grade and he'd always shared his crayons when hers broke, and later he never completely ignored her when the other kids started to realize her family was different than theirs and began to keep their distance from her. She'd been so relieved when it turned out he hadn't been plotting against Katniss in the Hunger Games — everyone had — and she knew she wasn't the only one who'd had a hard time believing Peeta Mellark of all people could kill someone from his own district, even in the Hunger Games. Most people in town had thought well of him before he became famous, and now, well, his popularity is second only to Katniss'. In fact, Gale is probably the only person Madge can think of who doesn't like Peeta, but Madge at least sympathizes with his reasons.

"Haymitch says we need to talk to some magazine reporter, Katniss." Peeta's voice is a mix between tentative, resigned, and annoyed. Katniss eyes Peeta wearily but makes no move to stand up, so he walks the rest of the way up the stairs and sits a step below Katniss and Madge. The stairs aren't easy for him with his new leg, but he manages and doesn't complain.

Peeta sits quietly for a second and then announces in an amused tone, "Haymitch got Effie to eat a Mud Pig." Madge gasps at this news, but sees that it causes Katniss to smile reluctantly. "He told her it was a delicacy," Peeta adds. "A true delight to the senses. And that Madge's mom would be offended beyond forgiveness if she didn't try it."

A Mud Pig is a traditional District 12 dish universally reviled as the foulest combination of flavors imaginable and with a texture both slimy and rough. Madge is vaguely aware that it has origins in the Seam and that it's a pretty frequent trick for Seam kids to trick town kids into eating one if they haven't learned the truth yet. She'd suffered through a Mud Pig incident herself when she'd first started school, and she still remembers running to the girl's bathroom, gagging into the sink, and begging the teacher afterward for a peppermint to get the taste out of her mouth. Katniss had slipped her a leaf from a mint plant and whispered for her to chew it; Madge had never tasted anything so welcome. She's never been able to figure out what exactly goes into a Mud Pig, but she's heard it involves gristle, entrails and a coating of cocoa powder.

Peeta smiles at the memory. "You should have seen Effie's face. She wanted so badly to spit it out but was scared of being rude. Madge, who knew your mother was so intimidating?"

"When it comes to manners, believe me, she is not to be crossed," Madge says ominously, only partly kidding. She sees that Katniss appears to be more relaxed now; Madge is impressed Peeta got Katniss to smile again, even if only briefly, and that she seems ready to go face the public again.

"Maybe I could eat a Mud Pig and throw up," Katniss muses darkly. "Do you think that would be enough to let me go home early?"

"Nice try," Peeta says ruefully, standing up with some effort. Madge thinks the idea does have some appeal for herself, though — no one would miss her the way they'd miss Katniss or Peeta. Maybe if that Simon guy from the Capitol tries to talk to her again she can offer him a Mud Pig. She hopes Haymitch brought extras.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Before Katniss returned to District 12, Gale knew she would be busy with official events but he thought he would have been able to see her at least for a few moments away from the cameras. No such luck. From their homecoming at the train station, Katniss and Peeta were whisked to Madge's house for some exclusive dinner. Gale had watched on the television at home, which felt like a new kind of insult when Katniss was right there in District 12. Gale also saw Madge in the background, usually either talking quietly to people he didn't recognize or watching the scene with a serious expression, which he knew meant she was trying to absorb whatever useful information she could. He had found himself wondering if Katniss — once all the publicity nonsense died down — would be able to use her star power to help them. But then there was another shot of her kissing Peeta, and Gale had shut off the broadcast.

Even when Katniss is in the Seam, it's just for sleep and costume changes and to pack up her house, which doesn't take long. There are cameras with her at all times, documenting even the minutiae of her life. Which, Gale notes, does not include him at the moment.

The only times he feels any hope of the real Katniss still existing behind this creation of the Capitol's are when he can feel her watching him from a distance. Maybe it's from all their hunting excursions, but he has almost a second sense for when her attention is on him. A lingering look here or a faint smile there before she has to turn her attention back to whatever she's supposed to be doing. He can no longer easily tell what she's thinking, though. And despite knowing that she's busy with all her _events_, he still feels a gut punch of loss whenever she isn't at their rock in the woods.

He had hoped to talk to her at the district-wide victory feast sponsored by the Capitol, but once again she was occupied with interviews and speeches. Still, events like the victory feast at least give him a chance to study her and try to figure out who she is now. When the Capitol representative opening the feast describes Katniss as a radiant flower to emerge from such a desolate district, Gale is pleased to see a flash of insult in her eyes before she tamps it down and graciously shakes the jerk's hand.

After dessert at the victory feast, a full band from the Capitol starts playing a song for the evening's dancing. It's some kind of new dance invented in the Capitol and nobody in District 12 knows it, but people give it a try after watching Katniss and Peeta for a few minutes.

Gale, in a decidedly sour mood, is more interested in seconds of dessert, unwilling to leave available calories unconsumed. He runs into Madge at the dessert bar, scooping raspberries into a bowl of ice cream.

"I think you still have my berry pail," he says sternly from across the serving table.

She startles momentarily and then smiles. "I didn't see you… You know, I still owe you for those."

"I may have to have to charge you a late fee," he warns with mock seriousness.

"Yes, well you may have competition as our supplier now." She gestures to the vast table filled with more berries and other types of fruits Gale has ever seen in his life. "It's crazy, isn't it? Katniss says every meal is like this in the Capitol."

Gale doesn't appreciate the reminder — however unintentional — that Madge has been able to spend more time with Katniss than he has. "Getting in a lot of chit chat time in between interviews and hair appointments?" Today there was a long broadcast of Katniss picking out clothes and getting her hair done. He doesn't understand how she can spend so much time with that frivolity and not spare a few minutes for him.

"Not much," Madge admits. They take their plates to a nearby empty table and dig in. "They have her scheduled like you wouldn't believe."

"No, I believe it. No time for old friends. Or cousins. Especially if the old friends slash cousins are from the wrong side of town."

Madge frowns at him. "I don't think that's true. Anyway, after Parcel Day most of the camera crews will be leaving and things should go back to normal."

Gale looks at her skeptically and then focuses on chasing a stubborn raspberry in his bowl. It's almost unfathomable to him that people eat like this in the Capitol all the time while people in the districts starve. "Well. How are all your charming houseguests? Talkative?"

Madge beams and looks like she might burst. "_Extremely_." She glances nervously around them. "You know, I'd love it if we could go for another walk sometime. It's such a beautiful time of year."

"Isn't it just?" He looks over at the dance floor and sees Katniss and Peeta moving together slowly. "I suddenly feel nauseous. How about now?"

Madge agrees, so they walk away from the crowds to the sports fields on the edge of town. She does indeed have interesting news; she's been busy listening at vents and doors and hanging around unobtrusively in her own home. "They just think I'm a silly little girl and honestly aren't even very careful about what they say," she says, sounding insulted.

"Good. Let them think you're harmless. What have you heard?"

Madge describes the brewing unrest in some of the other districts — crowds of people gathering in public areas, demanding more food and better working conditions, and disbanding noisily when the Peacekeepers start making threats. Gale is fascinated, never having heard much about the other districts. She says the president blames Katniss and Peeta for inspiring people to disobey, and Gale concedes there may be a point to that — it's certainly how he reacted, aside from his personal relief at Katniss surviving. Madge also tells him that's why there are so many cameras covering Katniss and Peeta's return to District 12 — besides their general popularity, the Capitol wants to portray them as happy, healthy, and not at all upset at having had to compete in the Hunger Games.

Despite feeling encouraged at the possibility of other districts protesting, on a personal level Gale gets angrier the more Madge tells him, since it sounds like the Capitol intends to keep dangling Katniss and Peeta in the public eye to tame potential unrest — but for how long? The Victory Tour is coming up, and then she'll probably have to be a mentor like Haymitch (although hopefully not _too_ much like Haymitch). He wonders to himself if she'll end up like Mayor Undersee, disgruntled but not enough to stand up for what's right. He thinks that may even be worse...

"What can we do here?" He asks Madge urgently.

She stops walking and looks at him with a puzzled expression. "I thought you'd know…"

"Not really," he admits. Most of his thoughts about revolting against the Capitol involve pushing a magical button that just erases the Capitol from existence so it can no longer oppress the people he cares about. He certainly doesn't need anything from the Capitol as long as he has the forest. Then it occurs to him that District 12 has something the Capitol needs: coal. And he knows the miners have no love for the Capitol…

"I'm starting in the mines soon," Gale says slowly. It's the first time he's thought anything about the coal mines with a hint of excitement.

"I wondered if you were," Madge says, looking at him sadly.

He feels a spike of irritation, already sensitive to the fact that he's soon going to be spending most of his time underground breathing stale air and coal dust, hoping he doesn't get caught in a cave-in or in an explosion like the one that claimed his father. It's worth it, of course, for the steadier income for his family - something rich Madge Undersee has never had to concern herself with - but it feels odd for her to not understand something so obvious to people in the Seam. "That's actually a good thing," he says with a hostile edge in his voice.

She blinks quickly and looks away. "I just thought it might be hard, because of your father…"

Gale doesn't know how she even knows his father had died in the mines. Maybe she had to attend the medal ceremony, but that was so long ago and there are so many explosions and cave-ins each year… Maybe Katniss has said something about their fathers being killed in the same explosion. He pushes aside his impatience and says, "I'll be able learn about the operations, talk to the other miners… The Capitol only cares about us because of coal. There's got to be a way to turn that around on them."

Madge looks so impressed with his idea he wishes he had even more of a plan. "Do you mean like organizing a strike?"

"Maybe." There have been strikes before and usually they only result in the miners' families going even hungrier. He's going to have to figure out a way to make a strike actually have more of an effect, or maybe do something more drastic than just a strike…

"I'll see what I can learn on my end about how much they need the coal and when," Madge offers. "It might help us decide what to do."

Gale's lingering annoyance fades, replaced by a grudging appreciation for Madge's spying efforts. In her own sheltered way, she's showing more courage than he would have expected from her. It occurs to him that she probably doesn't want to get her father in trouble, and Gale likes that she trusts him enough to not misuse the information she shares.

"Thanks," he says when they get back to her house. "For the walk. And the talk." The party in the town square is still going strong, but neither of them suggests returning. Madge retrieves his pail for him and ignores his protests that he was just kidding when she pays more than what she normally would for the berries, insisting it's the late fee.

"Thank _you_," she says. "I needed a walk, too."

"No, I mean, thanks for trusting me. I get it."

Madge stares at him for a few seconds and then slowly smiles. "It's good to have an ally, right?"

"Right." He feels like they're partners in this — whatever it is they're doing.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to everyone following and reviewing! The pace stars to pick up from this point on... This chapter dedicated to IsForWinners, who was curious about Simon. ;)

Part 5

Madge's house is still bustling with guests from the Capitol the morning after the victory feast, although most are leaving on the afternoon train. At breakfast, she overhears several of them planning to take a tour of the mines before the train leaves to check on some repairs, and she can't believe her luck, after just talking about the mines with Gale last night. When her father arrives Madge eagerly asks if she can go on the tour, too.

The woman her father reports to — Madge learned her name is Ilse Redwell — answers first. "Of course. How delightful that your daughter is taking an interest in district matters, Clifton."

Madge's father looks uncomfortable. "Madge, your mother isn't feeling well and I'd prefer it if you could stay to look after her."

"Please, Daddy, I'd really like to go." Madge uses her best wheedling tone, anxious she'll be excluded for no reason. If her mother is battling a headache, there's nothing Madge can do for her other than try not to make too much noise; there's no 'looking after' involved.

"You really ought to encourage these interests," Ilse Redwell says in a disapproving tone.

"I heartily agree," Madge's father returns, his tone firm. "But family comes first, does it not?" He gives Ilse Redwell a hard stare and puts his hand on Madge's shoulder to steer her out of the room. "Go check on your mom," he says, when they're in the hallway.

"Dad, she doesn't—"

"_Margaret._ Now." Madge knows from his tone she's stuck, and swiftly stalks up the stairs, frustrated that he's so purposefully excluding her from the one thing she wants to know most about. She dutifully looks into her mother's room, but as expected, she's asleep. A container of morphling on the nightstand indicates that she won't be waking up anytime soon and truly needs no assistance. Madge fumes for a few moments at her father and then resolves to try one more time to get on the tour.

The group has already left, though. The house feels quieter, although there are still a handful of visiting officials chatting with one another, sorting through papers, and lingering over breakfast. Madge posts herself at her window-watching spot on the living room couch and forlornly observes the cleanup crews on the town square, feeling like she somehow let Gale down.

The fabric on the couch shifts slightly as someone sits on the cushion next to hers. It's that smarmy Simon guy, nursing a cup of coffee and watching her with an amused expression. "What's wrong, Sad Cat? No mice to catch?"

"I wanted to go on the tour of the mines," she admits.

"Be glad you aren't. All that soot? Feeling claustrophobic? No thank you." He takes a sip of coffee and winces. "Bit too much ale last night."

"The tour sounded interesting," she insists. "Why didn't you go?"

"I'm overseeing the shipments home. A thrilling day of paperwork and shipping containers awaits." He looks over at her over his coffee cup. "Why don't you tag along? Less soot, more possibilities of snacking on any leftovers. Sounds like a pretty stellar deal to me."

Madge is about to say she's supposed to stay home to watch her mother, but honestly her mother doesn't need her and she could learn something useful from this guy. So she agrees, and after he finishes his coffee they walk over to the Justice Building.

Simon provides Madge with a running commentary of what he's doing and she listens carefully for any kernel of information she could exploit. It's all very routine, but he takes her attentiveness for actual interest in district administration concerns. "You might get a lot out of that program I was telling you about."

Madge shrugs noncommittally; no way is she going to the Capitol but it seems rude to dismiss the idea outright.

"You know, your father is where he is because of the program," Simon adds.

Madge perks up. She knows her father isn't originally from District 12, but she never thought much about how he came to be the mayor. "You mean, he went through this training program you're talking about and then became the mayor? Why aren't you a mayor, then?"

Simon laughs. "No, that's not how it works. Most recent graduates are people like me — we're assigned to a specific department or districts as assistants or deputies initially and maybe if we're lucky we work our way up to the higher levels, like Secretary Redwell. I think your father started out in Six and then was assigned to Twelve. He was one of the youngest mayors in his day… People still talk about him."

Madge knows mayors are appointed by the president, but she's never considered how her father came to be mayor. She asks Simon, but he doesn't know either. "I was hoping you could tell me," he says with a wink. "We all suspect there's a juicy story somewhere."

If there is, Madge doesn't know it. A worker comes up to Simon and says they're starting the fire, so Madge is saved from responding and follows Simon to the paved area behind the Justice Building where a large bonfire is crackling.

As they get closer, Madge is horrified to see that the fire is being fueled by leftover _food_ from the previous evening's feast. The fire is just getting started and she can see intact boxes and cans — perfectly good items.

"Why burn it?" She asks in horror.

"Too expensive to ship back," Simon answers, eyes glued to the fire.

"It would be free to leave everything here," Madge says quietly.

Simon nods. "But what kind of message would that send?"

Madge feels ill, contemplating that even when they're celebrating a Hunger Games victory, the Capitol feels the need to taunt the districts. She can't stand to watch the food burn and excuses herself, saying she needs to get back home.

"Wait," Simon says, turning to look at her. "Does this bother you?"

Madge freezes, not sure of the safest way to respond, finally settling on the truth. "We lost three children to starvation at the community home last year," she says in a hushed tone. Those three don't even count toward the number of people who succumbed to other illness due to their weakened states or malnutrition.

"Well, the Parcel Day deliveries this year will be an improvement then, won't they?" He narrows his eyes as he looks at her. "Do you want to know how to avoid waste in the future?" She nods hesitantly, and he gestures for her to follow him back inside the building.

He sits down at a computer terminal in a busy room and pulls up a database, no longer making sarcastic comments about the various forms and mind-numbing layers of bureaucracy. "You all have the first Parcel Day in a few days," he says seriously. "Do you know how we know how many parcels to send? It's based on the number of people in the district. Makes sense, right? This is your district's population database, where all births and deaths are recorded. For the Parcel Day shipment, we just look at this number right here." He points to a blinking number. "This links up with the shipping database."

He looks at Madge closely and says, "The problem is, these databases can be unreliable. Sometimes they crash, sometimes the numbers are wrong, the links between the two break…" He shrugs. "Sometimes people have to send a written update or just call to give us the final number. As long as the right number of parcels are sent, then there's no waste. It all comes down to the numbers your district reports."

Madge stares at him for a moment, trying to figure out if he's trying to show her how to avoid waste or suggesting that she find a way to over-report the District 12 population before Parcel Day. She can't read his expression, so she finally just smiles tightly and thanks him for the very instructive day.

"My pleasure," he says as they walk back upstairs. "A little bit of knowledge can go a long way."

#

Parcel Day is amazing, and affects Gale more deeply than he'd expected. He sees — from a distance — Katniss having a similar reaction and feels a rare moment of connection with her. She even makes eye contact with him when a kid runs in front of her, hyper from sugar and the abundance of food. A look from afar is as much Katniss as Gale is able to get, though, because the cameras are following her around all day like usual.

Rory and Vick eagerly accompany him to collect their family's parcels from the distribution area near the post office in town, and while they're standing in line Gale is surprised to see Madge standing behind the table with a clipboard, helping the goons from the Capitol hand out the boxes. She's so excited to see him that she rushes out from behind the table and clutches his arm tightly, whispering that she has exciting news to share. They arrange to meet in the square the next day, and Gale feels buoyed by both the food and the prospect of some progress on whatever it is that he and Madge are planning.

They've been pretty fuzzy on the specifics so far… She keeps pushing her father's old political theory articles on him, assuming he'll find them as fascinating as she does, but they use a lot of words he's never heard before and don't seem especially relevant. Madge seems fixated on having every aspect of a possible rebellion planned in advance, including the exact structure of government they'd design to replace the Capitol. Gale insists that worrying about the next reign is as pointless as planning a dinner menu for the next month when you have no guarantees you're going to have any food at all between now and then. He thinks they need to start winning people onto their side and either making or otherwise acquiring weapons they could use to back up their actions. They both usually get stuck on what to do in between their two versions of a 'plan' and end their meetings resolving to be more specific whenever they next can meet.

Madge is already waiting for him when he arrives the next day at the town square, and when she notices Gale she breaks into a broad grin and walks quickly toward him. Her happiness is infectious, or maybe he's just in a good mood because he finds himself smiling too.

"You have to tell me before you burst," he says, laughing at her expression. She looks like Posy does when he says he has a surprise present for her behind his back, only Madge's version of the present appears to be sharing whatever news she can barely contain. He wonders if one of the other districts has succeeded in rebelling…

Madge takes a deep breath and scans the square at all the people nearby. "Town park?"

Gale nods — it's only a few blocks away and they'll be able to speak privately. As they walk, he tells her about how excited his brothers and sister were to unpack their parcels, and how they'd immediately started trading the different colored candies amongst themselves. Madge smiles wistfully and says she's always wished she had siblings, which makes sense to Gale in light of how lonely she seems. It strikes him as a cruel irony that her parents would have no trouble feeding a whole litter of kids and yet only have to provide for one.

The park is fairly crowded, but they find an unoccupied sunny bench in the least busy corner. "So," Madge whispers, "There were too many parcels delivered, and instead of burning them like we're supposed to, we're storing them in the Justice Building." She explains that the people from District 12 helping with the distribution had all agreed to pretend all the parcels had been handed out and that there were no remainders. "It wasn't a _major_ act of rebellion or anything," she admits. "We all just kind of silently agreed that to let all that food burn wasn't an option and all of a sudden the extra parcels were being carted to Storage Area B45."

Gale is surprised to hear that workers in the Justice Building — usually the first to defend the Capitol and to inform on anyone who even hints at discontent — would risk even this small scale defiance. "That's pretty gutsy for a bunch of… For them." He catches himself. No need to risk offending Madge.

"Yeah," Madge agrees, sounding a little surprised herself. "And here's the beauty of it — according to all the paperwork, everything is just fine! 8,233 parcels delivered to 8,233 people, and zero extra. The Capitol doesn't know we really only have 8,203 people."

"So what happens to those parcels now?"

"Well, we'll have to figure that out… But you're always saying the problem with a strike is that the miners' families would go hungry without the wages, so now we have a way around that." She watches him with a pleased, expectant expression, as though she's hoping for an approving pat on the head.

Gale's world view changes in a snap. A strike is suddenly an actual possibility, not just a distant _if only_ situation. He grabs Madge's shoulders tightly. "Madge. This could be what we needed."

She nods happily. "That's why I was so excited to tell you." He sits back again as she starts rambling about some database where the population numbers are recorded; he's already thinking of ways they could get the extra parcels out of the Justice Building and what else he would need to do to start a strike in the mines. He'll be starting work soon, and probably can't instigate anything on his first day, but he could start laying the groundwork... He barely registers that Madge is still talking. "…And I don't know how to change the numbers yet, so I think he did. Can you believe it?"

"What? Who?" He missed whatever she was saying.

"Simon, that guy from the Capitol. He showed me how to use the database as a way to prevent 'waste' but I know he was in charge of sending the parcels to us, and 30 extra parcels seems deliberate." She pauses for a second. "Although it could also be explained as a typo, which means even if he did it on purpose he could avoid getting in trouble for it." She sounds impressed at this possible deviousness. "Whatever it is, I'm glad we got the extras. And Gale, if I can figure out a way to get into the database, I can adjust the numbers even higher for next month."

"Why would someone from the Capitol send us extra food?" He asks suspiciously.

"I don't know that he actually did, or if he did, why."

"So you don't know if it was some kind of test of your loyalty to the Capitol?"

"No..." He can hear the hesitation in her tone, as though she hadn't considered this possibility. _She's so naive_. "But... couldn't it also have been a test to see if I'd report _him_?" She thinks for a few minutes and adds, "I'm not officially in charge of receiving the parcels so they'd have a hard time pinning anything on me."

She's back to looking like she wants a pat on the head, so Gale flashes a quick half-smile at her but thinks to himself that for all her talk, he isn't sure how much more Madge will be willing to do… He's starting to suspect that she's been so focused on her father's old political articles and planning out the next form of government because those are ways she can feel like she's doing something rebellious without actually doing anything too traitorous. And as much as he appreciates her role in storing the parcels and her intention to adjust 12's population numbers (which he'll believe only if it happens), he still gets the sense she's not 100% committed. Everything she's done so far could be easily explained away, which he supposes is strategically smart, but leaves him not entirely convinced of her dedication...

Realistically, he can't see Madge doing anything that would outright defy or endanger her father. In Gale's world, standing up to the Capitol is synonymous with protecting his family, but in all likelihood, it means the opposite for Madge. His love for his family is the only thing he feels more intensely than his hatred for the Capitol, and he can't imagine anyone — certainly not sheltered and indulged Madge Undersee — feeling differently. Gale isn't sure he'd want to ask her to, anyway. The best he can hope for is to get some useful information — and those parcels — from her while she still thinks she wants to rebel.

"So where exactly are these parcels being stored?" He asks, and Madge happily launches into an explanation of more than he thought he'd ever want to know about the basement storage areas in the Justice Building.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Welcome to new readers, and thanks again to everyone for following and reviewing! I've written the first draft of this whole story, but as I go back to revise chapters for posting I alternate between "OMG, HATE, DELETE" and "hmmmm, that works, keep." I've been having more of the _hate_ than _hmmm_ days lately, so getting all this nice feedback is very encouraging. Long-winded A/N is now over. ;)

Part 6

Eventually Gale's days of freedom run out and he starts working in the mines: twelve-hour days underground away from the sun and fresh air. Being slave labor is as awful as he expected, and barely any time passes before he starts carefully feeling out other miners for their level of discontent.

He doesn't need to probe far to get people to open up to him – many remember his father, who was well-liked. They tell him stories over the lunch breaks, and Gale is fascinated to hear about this side of his father… The man who looked out for his crewmates at all costs and who engaged in an ongoing prank war with the transport department to keep his crew's spirits up when their backs and arms were aching. The man who was just as angry at the Capitol as Gale and even worse about hiding it…

Gale also starts investigating how to get access to the mining tools and dynamite, which are stored under the tightest security. During the sweet days between the end of the Hunger Games and before he'd started working, he'd spent long hours in the forest making bows, arrows and spears for use in an uprising. But the task had ended up disheartening him — wooden weapons would be no match for the Peacekeepers' bullets. Bows and arrows, yes, but who other than he and Katniss would know how to use them? (Rory, maybe, but if there's one thing Gale knows already about any future armed conflicts it's that Rory will _not_ be participating.)

The miners, on the other hand, already know how to use axes, picks, and explosives… And those could do some damage.

#

The first Sunday after he starts mining, Gale goes hunting, trying to stay optimistic about his prospects of finding the most elusive of forest creatures: Katniss. But he doesn't see her, and he can't help interpreting the fact that she could find him in the woods, but doesn't, as a fresh rejection whenever she isn't there.

On the positive side, he catches several pheasants, which always sell well at the Hob and whose feathers are fun for Posy to play with. He also happens upon some late season blueberries, which he picks as a treat for Madge. She'd somehow forced some apples from the Undersees' backyard tree on him last week _("I swear they're extra, Lulu can't even can them – ask her."_), and he feels like he owes her. Plus, it's a good excuse to visit and tell her what he's been learning in the mines – he knows she's anxious for his report.

"These are beautiful!" Madge exclaims when he hands her the berries. "It's so late in the season I'm surprised you found any." She's reaching for the shelf with the kitchen money, but he pulls her hand back.

"Remember the apples?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Madge scolds and tries again to reach, but stops when Gale steps in between her and the shelf. Any further reaching will entail practically having to hug him, triggering her instead to color and step back. "It's too much," she protests again.

"Come on, let's go outside," he says, willing her to drop it. She hesitates and then goes to grab a shawl from the other room, leaving Gale waiting in the kitchen. He stays near the door, resentfully eyeing the massive pantry and feeling out of place. The situation does not improve when Mayor Undersee wanders in to put away an empty tea cup and looks surprised to see Gale, who immediately curses himself for not waiting on the porch.

Gale gives the mayor a microscopic nod in greeting, and luckily is saved from having to converse (what on earth would he say to the mayor? _Thanks for letting people starve?_) by Madge's reappearance.

"Going on a walk, Dad, see you later," she says cheerfully, crossing the room and gently pulling Gale by his jacket sleeve out the door. Gale registers a second look of surprise on the mayor's face. _Great_.

Madge seems totally unconcerned. "So, how was your first week?" She's smiling and looks like hearing about the mines would make her day.

But Gale's distracted. "Does your father mind that you spend time with me?" He thinks a man as overprotective as Mayor Undersee would start to get suspicious of a boy from the Seam befriending his daughter. Not that there's actually anything to be suspicious of, but the mayor doesn't know that. Gale doesn't want to lose the mayor's business, or worse, for the mayor to not let Madge talk to him.

"Why would he? He probably just thinks you're delivering some berries or other forage. Which you usually are. So it works out." She stops walking briefly. "If you want to make him suspicious of you, I'm sure he'd be happy to oblige. But isn't it easier to slide along without being noticed?"

Gale hesitates for a moment, caught off guard at Madge's apparent suggestion that they give her father a reason to be concerned. But he immediately dismisses it as too absurd to contemplate. Sliding along unnoticed is no doubt just the Undersee life philosophy.

He decides to tell her what he's learned in the mines. "Speaking of not being noticed," Gale says, moving closer to her and speaking in a lower voice. "I think I figured out the quota and shipment system for when they transport the ore to the Capitol…" Madge listens attentively as he describes his sleuthing and conversations with other miners, and how he knows where the more dangerous tools are stored but hasn't figured out how to access them yet. She shares that she's heard of work stoppages happening sporadically in other districts, and that it definitely gets the attention of the Capitol.

"But I can't figure out what people can do once they draw attention to their anger," she admits. "All the districts are so isolated… My father's office can't even make phone calls to other districts unless the main switchboard in the Capitol connects the lines. Doesn't it seem like a rebellion would be more effective if we could all act on one day? The Capitol would be spread too thin to deal with everyone. But how could it ever be organized?"

Gale is stumped. Like most people, he doesn't know anyone other than District 12 residents. And he only knows that other districts are unhappy because Madge has been able to figure it out from eavesdropping. He kicks a nearby stump in frustration. "You'll have to be our ears, Madge. You can tell me what's going on in the other districts, and I can spread the word in the mines if we think the time is right."

Madge smiles at him. "I think we have the beginnings of a plan." Gale thinks it's pretty shaky as far as plans for an uprising go, but it's the best they can do for now. He can see bits and pieces of the puzzle, but how they all fit together into something useful still doesn't make sense yet. And surprisingly, Madge doesn't seem to be backing out yet.

They've been walking on a path that circles the district's western edge, with the forest visible beyond the fence. Gale hears an owl and freezes, peering into the trees to see if he can spot it in the dusky light. He doesn't see many owls, and they've always intrigued him so he walks through the weeds right up to the (non-electrified, thankfully) fence for a better look.

He feels Madge standing next to him, joining his vigil. When he spots a blurry brown shape shift slightly on the tree closest to them, he gestures for her to watch: the owl unfolds its wings and silently speeds toward the ground. Madge inhales sharply when they hear the piercing squeal of the rodent that just became dinner.

They watch for a few more minutes, with Gale trying to remember what his father told him about what it means to see an owl, but it's all a jumble of myths and superstitions in his memory and he really only cares how graceful and deadly the owl looked in the air. It must be busy eating its kill because they don't see anything else, and he finally pushes himself off the fence and smiles at Madge. "Pretty amazing, huh?"

She nods and looks back at the trees curiously. "I've never seen anything like that. The only time I've been beyond the fence was on a train to the Capitol when I was younger. I guess that doesn't really count…"

"Do you want to? See the forest?" He's offered before he realizes it, and seconds later wishes he could take it back because the forest is his special refuge with Katniss.

But Madge says something that makes him reconsider his hesitation. "Yes. I mean, what are we talking about if not going outside the fence in the biggest possible way, right?"

She looks up at him with so much trust he starts to feel cautiously optimistic; if she doesn't chicken out, it could show whether she'll really be able to put her intentions into actions. So he nods and says, "Right. If it makes you feel better, I've never been caught."

"You'll take me into the woods?"

"Sure. Next weekend. It's about time you learned to pick your own berries." Madge laughs in response and he thinks about how much better Sundays are compared to the rest of the week.

#

Gale is glad to have a plan of sorts, but he slowly realizes that executing it may be more of a challenge than he thought. The miners are angry, but not enough to strike — they're concerned about feeding their families, despite Gale's cryptic promise of extra food supplies, and worry about the managers forcing wages even lower. Gale is frustrated that the situation is bad but not bad enough, and obviously he doesn't want conditions to get any worse, but the end result is that nobody is willing to cause a disturbance.

That's part of the reason he's in a bad mood when he leaves his house the next Sunday morning to go hunting. He's also not looking forward to once again being reminded of Katniss' abandonment of him when he sees that empty rock. But the main reason for his mood is that he'd had a run in with Peeta Mellark the night before and it's still bugging him.

It had taken all his restraint not to punch the guy in the middle of the street. They'd been walking toward each other in town, and both belatedly realized it before there was a chance to turn around without the reason being obvious. Mellark had at least had the decency to look uncomfortable under Gale's glare, but what really got Gale was the look of sadness he'd seen on Mellark's face as he'd passed – for him to look _pityingly_ at Gale was too much to handle.

Gale had stopped and waited for Peeta to say something, hoping with all his heart the punk would insult him or otherwise justify Gale knocking him out. Instead Peeta had just hesitantly asked, "You're Gale Hawthorne, aren't you?" Gale had nodded warily, wishing he could wound with his eyes. Peeta looked like he was struggling for words (a rare occurrence as far as Gale could tell), and eventually all he said was, "See you around" in a sullen tone. The encounter was so unsatisfying Gale had seriously considered shoving Peeta face first into the muddy street, but then he'd had a flashback to images in the Hunger Games of Peeta dying in the mud and knew he couldn't bring himself to attack the blond devil unprovoked.

Still, that lingering frustration clung to Gale when he woke up this morning, and he's bitter it's going to leave a cloud over his one good day of the week. He purposefully avoids going to the rock so he doesn't have to deal with another bout of Katniss rejection when he's already in such a foul mood, and starts his day by harvesting some mushrooms.

He's feeling slightly better by the time he lets himself pass by the rock, at which point he nearly falls over from shock: for the first time since the day of the reaping, Katniss is there, waiting for him. It's as jarring as when he saw her on the platform of the train station after the Hunger Games — he's so used to only getting an artificial view of her that he can't conceive of seeing her in the flesh. But seconds later they're hugging and he can't bring himself to let go in case she vanishes again. When the strange choking sounds she's making start to alarm him, he offers her his water. She drinks and smiles at him with such gratitude and affection, he wonders how he could have ever doubted her.

It's such a comfort to hunt with her again, to strategize about where to put traps and to debate what the various tracks reveal. He tries to get used to the absence of scars on her hands and that they did something to her eyebrows so she looks just slightly different. As they're getting ready to sneak back under the fence, he can't help himself — he kisses her. She's shocked at first but responds eagerly, and is so dazed afterward she doesn't even try to follow him when he makes a quick exit. He hadn't planned to kiss her and doesn't want to get weighed down by any discussion afterward, particularly if that discussion includes a rejection.

He relives that kiss the entire following week. What else is he going to think about in the mines? The tepid response he gets from the other miners when he hints at the need for a strike? He wonders if Katniss is thinking about him… It seems like she is, because she leaves fresh game with his mother every day. He doesn't like not being the one to provide food for his family, but it's Katniss…

He's so relieved when she's waiting on the rock for him the following Sunday he almost doesn't know what to do with the happiness. He decides to let her make the next move if she wants there to be one, but Katniss doesn't say anything about the kiss, clearly determined to return to their status before she was forced into the Hunger Games. She'd always seemed so uncomfortable with anything other than pure friendship… He guesses she's still not ready to deal with anything more, having had it forced down her throat (_literally, thanks to Mellark_, he thinks with a gag) for the past several months. He tries to ignore the possibility that maybe she just doesn't want _Gale_ kissing her…

Whatever the case, if what she needs is a supportive friend as she tries to regain some normalcy after the Games, well, Gale can do that. He's getting pretty good at swallowing his disappointment.

#

A few weeks later, two of the miners on Gale's crew get into a fight over a roast beef sandwich and end up knocking out one of the supports, causing a minor cave-in. Gale's crew is trapped briefly - only about an hour - but it's enough for Gale to reconsider his opinion on the worst way to die in a mine. The explosion that killed his father had always seemed like the epitome of horror, but after enduring that cramped, dark chamber, breathing increasingly stale air, he starts to think going fast is better.

Their crew gets the rest of the afternoon off while the stabilization workers make sure none of the other supports are vulnerable. He doesn't want to worry his mother or siblings with an early appearance at home, so he slips into the woods to check the snares. Katniss has already been there, though, and he remembers hearing on the news that she's attending some ceremony today so she must have done the snare run in the morning. (How messed up that he knows her schedule because of the _news_, he thinks.) He's almost relieved she's not available – she doesn't need to be reminded of her father's death in addition to dealing with memories of her own more recent traumatic events…

Gale suddenly realizes he hasn't seen Madge in a while. She's always interested in hearing about the mines for their possible role in a future rebellion, and it occurs to him that the miners could create a disturbance by making it look like an accident - like today but on a larger scale. He wants to hear what she thinks of the idea.

At the Undersee house, Lulu opens the door and raises her eyebrows at Gale's presence. He ignores her eyebrows and calmly asks to speak to Madge, thinking to himself he knew there was a reason he usually only visits in the evening when the staff are gone. Lulu leads him into the parlor while she fetches Madge, but he doesn't sit down because he doesn't want to get coal dust on the elegant sofa.

"Gale?" Madge is standing in the doorway, looking at him with concern. "Is everything all right? Why aren't you at work?"

"There was a cave-in." The words tumble out, and he hadn't realized until that point how much he needed to tell someone.

Madge's eyes widen in alarm and she takes a step closer to him. "What happened?"

"A support fell, and so did the mountain. They got us all out. It wasn't that bad – we were only trapped for an hour." He's trying to sound nonchalant, but he hears a hint of anxiousness creep into his tone. Only a few weeks into the job… He can't even contemplate his family losing him to the mines, too.

"Thank goodness," she breathes and moves closer to grasp his arm. "No serious injuries?"

He shakes his head, pleased to see how relieved she looks. But it also reminds him that her talk about rebellions may only ever end up being talk - she's so sheltered, she probably has no clue how even the slightest bit of rebellion could ruin the people on the fringes of survival. She's never even gone beyond the fence…

And then he remembers he'd offered to take her to the forest. Several weeks ago now… He hasn't even seen her since saying they could go into the woods the very next week.

"Want to go for a walk?" He asks, suddenly feeling younger than he actually is, like he's scared she'll say no. "We can catch up."

Madge backs away slightly and he can see her initial concern morphing into an impassive mask. She glances out the window and says, "I don't think so. It looks like it might rain."

It's cloudy, but not the kind of cloudy that leads to rain; she must be annoyed at his long absence. "Look," he says impatiently, "I'm sorry I haven't been by recently. I don't have a lot of extra time these days."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," she says with an unfamiliar cold note to her voice. "I'm afraid we don't have much in common anymore."

"How can we - so suddenly - not have any common interests?" He doesn't how she could shift so quickly from concern to dismissiveness.

"I don't think I can trust you to keep your word."

"Is this about saying I'd take you to the forest? We can go right now."

Madge glances at the hallway and then gestures to him to be careful about what he says. "You just disappeared on me," she says in low voice tinged with anger. "It's been over a month!"

He shifts uncomfortably… It hadn't really seemed like a month to him. "I have to work every day except Sundays."

"That's not it, though, is it?" Madge asks with a glare.

"I have a _job_," he says in a warning tone. "Not everybody gets to be rich and sit around in their huge house doing… whatever it is you do all day. Besides, _you_ could have tried to find me if you needed to." He can't actually picture delicate Madge Undersee wandering around in the Seam searching for his house, but the unfairness of her accusation is starting to piss him off.

Madge looks furious and blurts, "I did try to find you! I saw you kiss Katniss!" She quickly adds, "So that explains your sudden lack of interest in everything we've been talking about, and I realized I can't depend on someone so… unreliable."

"_Unreliable_?" He's flabbergasted. Nobody has ever called Gale unreliable before – he's been practically supporting a family of five since he was fourteen! And _lack of interest_ in a rebellion? "Do you honestly think I don't care about–" he stops himself from saying 'a rebellion' in case her parents or Lulu or Frank are nearby "-_everything_ anymore?" Just because Katniss stopped ignoring him doesn't change that Gale hates what the Capitol did to her (and is still doing to everyone he knows) and needs to be stopped.

"How would I know?" She counters. "You vanished right when I-. You vanished!"

"Well, I'm here now!" He's so exasperated all he can do is glare at her, and all he gets is an equally hostile glare in return. They're at a stalemate. Finally he asks in a flat tone, "So you're just going to abandon everything now?"

"No," she says defiantly. "I'm doing plenty on my own. I don't need you."

"Don't kid yourself," he says harshly. "You'll never actually do anything. You're all talk."

He brushes past her and lets himself out, furious that she thinks _he's_ the one who backed out of their partnership, and even worse, that she's acting like she's still working on planning an uprising and is just going to cut him out. To Gale, that's one of the worst offenses imaginable: leaving him powerless. It's what the Capitol does, and now it's apparently what Madge Undersee does. Because he has to admit that he does need her – the information she has access to and her ideas. The asymmetry bothers him and now has blown up in his face.

_And where did her hostility even come from?_ How could she go from being so enthusiastic about spying and planning an uprising to acting like he'd betrayed her just because he hadn't been at her beck and call for a little while? She'd even seemed so worried about him because of the cave-in, so it's not like she truly hates him… Usually he's half-worried she likes him too much…

Then he remembers her expression when she said she'd seen him with Katniss – like she'd been surprised to have admitted it aloud and tried to gloss over it. He feels something in his stomach drop as another explanation for Madge's anger starts to make sense... Makes sense, but is so _unforgivably stupid_ he can barely stand it. She's always known how he feels about Katniss, and if she developed some sort of misguided crush on him, she's delusional in more ways than he can even count. But for her to warp that stupid crush into an accusation that he's _unreliable_ of all things and to use it as an excuse to back out of plotting together? Totally unfair. True, he's half expected her to back out on him at some point, but for a _real_ reason. This _non-reason_ infuriates him so much more than if she'd just admitted she couldn't go against her father or was too scared to continue.

He decides it's just as well that they aren't working together anymore, because she's proved herself to be such a little fool.

* * *

**A/N 2:** Argh, this chapter, and in particular this fight, have caused me so much grief! It's tricky to write a fight where both people have good reasons and bad reasons (and reasons they aren't even conscious of) to be fighting – and to do that with only one, unreliable POV. Did it work? (Acknowledging that Madge has her own side that hasn't been revealed yet.) I've lost all sense at this point.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

Madge is so busy flipping through the pages of the dictionary she almost doesn't hear her father enter the room. She's curled up on the couch in his study, looking up words she doesn't know from the political articles.

"Hi, Dad," she says, covertly folding and sliding under the dictionary the article in her far hand. She still isn't ready to part with the stash of articles in case he decides to confiscate them.

"Hi Button," he returns, kissing her on the head. "A little light reading?"

"Just looking some things up."

"Need any help?" He crosses the room to a retrieve a small key from a little wooden box on the shelf and opens a drawer on his desk.

"No, I'm fine. Can I borrow this?"

He nods, focused on a paper he's pulled out of the drawer and frowning slightly. Then he seems to remember Madge and says, "I have to go to the office this afternoon… We could use some help again – interested?"

"Not this time," she says, trying to keep her voice steady. "I have plans later."

A month ago she would have jumped at the opportunity, but now even thinking about it makes her stomach twist. Before she realized Gale was going to leave her hanging, she had figured out how to adjust the numbers in the population database and added an extra 10 people to the census (the 'Madge Baby Boom,' she called it). Getting into the database had been relatively easy – she'd volunteered to help her father's assistant with some tasks one day and he'd set her up on one of the extra computer terminals – but actually submitting the false numbers had been terrifying. Her heart had been pounding as hard as it did when she'd try to keep up with Katniss during their old gym class races. That night she hadn't been able to sleep, convinced someone from the Capitol would discover her treachery and execute her on the spot. To jump straight from being (mostly) obedient into committing formal espionage was too much for her brain to process. There was no one she could talk to about it with other than Gale – she just needed some reassurance that she was doing the right thing – but that's exactly when he decided to go missing from their partnership.

It took a while to figure that out, though. She'd been so panicked about the database and needed to talk to him so urgently, she decided that if she could commit treason, she could brave the Seam. The Sunday they were supposed to go to the forest, she had gotten antsy waiting for him and looked up his family's address in the district records in her father's study, determined to catch him before he came to her house. The Seam turned out not to be as intimidating as she'd thought – most people just seemed tired, not criminally-inclined the way her mother had always implied – but Madge had still felt self-conscious. People looked at her strangely and she couldn't tell if it was because she looked out of place or if they recognized her as the mayor's daughter.

The Seam was confusing to navigate and Madge had gotten lost, eventually ending up near the fence so she could orient herself. That's when she saw Gale and Katniss. Kissing. After the initial wave of shock, Madge had been embarrassed for having read the situation so wrongly: she'd convinced herself that he'd moved on and maybe even that he liked her… the way he looked at her sometimes had seemed… Well, what does she know? Clearly nothing, because she also thought Katniss and Peeta had seemed happy together when she'd seen them. Then she'd felt a surge of anger at herself, hating the fact that she'd let herself develop feelings for her only real friend's… whatever Gale is to Katniss. Something more important than a boyfriend but less defined than that… (Although it had looked like some redefining was underway.) Then guilt took over, and horror that she'd tread so closely to becoming one of _those girls_ who gets in between couples.

She was so mortified she ran all the way back to her house to try to collect herself before Gale arrived, resolving to act like nothing was the matter and that she was just a happy, platonic co-conspirator like always. She could still tell him about the population database and he could help her feel better about it. Nothing was different.

Only he never showed up. Madge had been a little hurt, since she remembered him saying 'next week' and he'd always turned up when they'd made specific plans before… When he didn't show up the week after that, she started to wonder what was going on. Even when they didn't have plans he would usually stop by her house every few days to visit or to go for a walk. Madge knew when he started work he wouldn't have as much schedule flexibility, but still… By the following week, his absence felt purposeful and she'd started to get mad.

It was easier to be angry at him than horrified at how closely her own cluelessness had taken her into dangerous territory, so she coasted on anger for as long as she could. When he finally did turn up and she'd assured herself he was unharmed from the cave-in, she'd been so mad at his accusations – like she could do anything about being rich! – and his refusal to acknowledge that he'd abandoned her that she'd impulsively stretched the truth and said she was still working on a rebellion and didn't need his help. He still didn't know she'd increased the population numbers for the Parcel Day deliveries, so she reasoned that counted as 'doing' something as far as Gale's knowledge was concerned.

Madge's father peers at her over his glasses. "Your plans don't include that young man, I hope? You know how your mother feels about him."

She feels her cheeks flush even though her primary reaction is frustration that her parents won't let this go. Her mother, in particular, had suddenly started making comments at dinner about how 'unfair' it is of Madge to 'encourage that boy from the Seam as if he has a chance,' and warning her to 'look at what happened to poor, dear Ivy Everdeen.' Madge's vehement assurances that there was really, really, REALLY nothing to be concerned about were totally ignored, resulting in Madge having no choice but to perfect the lost art of sullenly poking at vegetables and pretending to listen.

"No, not with him," she tells her father. Not with anyone; she has no plans. For a rebellion, for the day, for anything.

Her father nods approvingly. "Madge, have you thought about taking any of the classes at the community center? Reg Snyder says his daughters really enjoy the craft classes."

"I don't like crafts," she says, which is true but the Snyder girls are reason enough to avoid that class.

"Maybe you'd like to teach a class instead? What about: An Introduction to Music?"

"No, I don't think so." Speaking in front of a room of people she doesn't know? No thank you.

Her father steps around from his desk and perches on the footstool near the couch. "Uncle Dusty was trained at the engineering school in Six – does that sound interesting? You always got good marks in math."

"Dad, you don't need to find things for me to do."

"I'm not talking about entertaining you, Madge. It may be time to start thinking about what you want to do with yourself."

Madge looks back down at her lap at the closed dictionary, hearing Gale's words echo in her memory – he'd basically accused her of not doing anything all day and he'd been more right than she cares to acknowledge. Most of the merchants' children are already trained in their trade or have started their apprenticeships by Madge's age. She knows her mother had worked in the family sweet shop before marrying her father, but when Madge's grandparents passed away the shop had been sold to a new family so that's not an option. And she can't exactly apprentice into a political appointment...

"Dad, how did you get to be appointed as mayor?" She remembers Simon saying there was a story behind it.

Her father stiffens and looks uncomfortable, standing abruptly and returning to his desk. "Right place, right time, I suppose. Madge, I need to make a phone call now…"

Madge knows that's her cue to exit, so she slides off the couch and takes the dictionary with her, a little surprised her father hadn't tried to push her into that training program in the Capitol if he's so keen on her doing something with her life. He must have really not liked the program. She wonders how she can find out the story behind his appointment, since he essentially just confirmed there is one…

In her room, she flops onto her bed and looks up another one of the words she doesn't recognize from the articles. All she's done lately is half-heartedly re-read them to see if she can get any new ideas, but nothing has occurred to her and the truth is she's starting to regret excluding Gale. What can she really do on her own without him? She doesn't know enough people closely to build support for a rebellion, she doesn't have any clue how to make a rebellion happen, and she doesn't know anything about the one thing the Capitol cares about: the mines. It's too late to team up again since she's fairly certain he hates her now; he'd been decidedly hostile when she saw him at the town square last weekend. She had been walking to the shoe shop when she saw him watching her from the other side of the street, and as soon as he realized she was looking back at him he'd swiveled, literally turning his back on her.

From her bedroom, she distantly registers the front doorbell ringing, but ignores it because now that Gale hates her nobody she knows ever visits for her. Probably one of her father's staff members. So she's surprised when Lulu summons her downstairs, and even more surprised to find _Katniss_ waiting for her in the living room.

Madge panics internally, worried Katniss is going to yell at her for accidentally developing a crush on Gale and then fighting with him, but Katniss just says, "Hi Madge" in a friendly enough tone.

"Hi," Madge returns cautiously. "Come on in." It's strange for Katniss to visit – they've only ever spent time together at school or during the formal post-Games events. Maybe Katniss _is_ going to yell at her…

Katniss looks around nervously before sitting on the sofa, which instantly reminds Madge of how uncomfortable Gale always seemed in her house as well. "Are you busy?"

"Not really." Katniss is watching Madge expectantly, so Madge adds, "Want to do something?"

"Yes! I'm going a little crazy… Even with hunting, I have so much more time than I know what to do with."

"Oh," Madge says with more coolness than she intends. "So you're still hunting?"

Katniss nods and Madge notices the familiar calm take over Katniss' face whenever she talks about the forest. She's seen the same thing in Gale so many times… "I need to get outside. And Gale's family still can use the meat, so I check our snares when he can't. Which is most days…" She trails off. "Just how it is. But, that still leaves me with time… What do you do all day?"

_Good question_. Madge shrugs. "Play piano, read, go for walks…" She omits how much time she spends staring out the living room window at the town square, watching other people go about their lives. It's kind of pitiful and probably doesn't count as a legitimate hobby.

"Can you show me the piano?" Katniss asks hesitantly. "I think I saw it from the hallway on the night of the Victory Banquet. I'm supposed to be developing a talent." Katniss looks embarrassed and it takes Madge a moment to remember the victors have to showcase their 'talents' during the Victory Tour.

Madge leads Katniss to the parlor, where they both sit on the long bench. "I could try to teach you, if you're interested? Maybe you could get a piano for your house if you like it."

Katniss looks mystified at the concept of getting something just by wanting it and doesn't respond to the suggestion other than to ask Madge where to put her fingers. Madge shows her, and then explains the concepts and teaches Katniss an easy nursery song that everybody in District 12 knows. Katniss picks up on the tune quickly, so Madge teaches her another one and then listens to Katniss experiment on the keyboard, eventually recreating the tune sang by Rue, the little girl Katniss had been allies with in the arena. Madge tears up as Katniss concentrates on the keys, playing the notes over and over again as though she's in a trance. Madge doesn't want Katniss to see her tears and get upset, so she relocates to rummage through the chest where she keeps all the music books, wondering all the while how Katniss can ever get over something so awful. If Madge's mom is any indication, maybe she won't...

After that day, Katniss comes over periodically to visit and practice, and Madge finds herself planning out lessons in advance, thinking of which songs she wants to teach Katniss. It's fun having a friend, and she starts to think her father's suggestion about teaching music wasn't totally crazy – although public speaking is a much different proposition than teaching someone as undemanding as Katniss. Madge glances at the political articles every once in a while, but they just make her feel frustrated and she usually ends up pushing them to the side.

Before long, Madge's mom succumbs to a migraine, meaning no piano that day, so she and Katniss decide over the phone to try to cook dinner together at Katniss' house instead. On the walk over, Madge sees Peeta sitting on his porch steps in the Victor's Village. He gives her a friendly wave so she detours to say hello, explaining that she and Katniss are going to try to cook lamb stew as a treat for Katniss' mother and Prim, which for some reason makes Peeta look sad. But he recovers quickly and says, "Nice. I know she likes it."

Madge belatedly remembers Katniss commenting on the lamb stew during the Hunger Games interviews, and that it was the meal the District 12 sponsorship purchased, but that makes her think of Gale and she quickly changes the subject. "It must be nice to have your schedule free now," she observes.

Peeta agrees. "I've started painting." He looks down the road. "My brother Markus is coming over tonight to help… Do you have a second? Want to see?" He sounds eager, and Madge recognizes the loneliness in his invitation – she feels the same way a lot of the time: so pleased to have someone paying attention to you that you jump at any shard of interest thrown your direction. In fact, Madge thinks that's probably why she tricked herself into thinking Gale was actually friends with her instead of considering her an interactive information source…

Madge had assumed Peeta was talking about painting his walls different colors, but it turns out he's making a mural, recreating District 12's town square in the study of his house. "We're doing the base layers right now," Peeta explains. "But I sketched out a draft, see? The idea is that if you're standing in the middle of the room, it will be like you're standing in the middle of the town square."

Madge examines the sketch and sees her house, the Justice Building, Peeta's family's bakery… She didn't even know he knew how to paint, yet here's proof that he's able to recreate life-like, detailed replications of their entire town.

Peeta watches her with a worried expression. "Am I not allowed to paint the walls? I thought…"

"No, of course you can paint the walls," Madge assures him. "It's your house. Don't be silly. I was just going to say that this is amazing. I can't wait to see it when you're done."

Peeta looks relieved. "Thanks." He glances around the room. "I was missing being in town, and thought, well, I can bring town to me."

Madge empathizes with that; she can see how Peeta, also having grown up on the lively town square, would miss it. If Madge ever moves away from Twelve, she'll have to get Peeta to paint the town square for her, too. "Well, at least you have Katniss and Haymitch nearby," she consoles.

Peeta looks unconvinced, but doesn't respond because his middle brother Markus is letting himself in through the front door, announcing that he brought a loaf of rye. Madge excuses herself to let them start painting.

She and Katniss successfully make a delicious lamb stew that night for the Everdeens. Neither of them has much cooking experience, but Katniss is good with the meat and Madge remembers sporadic techniques from watching Lulu over the years. At dinner, Prim is full of stories about the beginning of the school year, and Mrs. Everdeen shares news from their old neighbors in the Seam, where she'd spent the day visiting patients. Madge basks in the relaxed, loving warmth of the Everdeen dinner table, enjoying especially the absence of _totally irrelevant_ lectures about the perils of marrying 'below her station.'

After dinner, Katniss wants to take some stew to Haymitch before she walks Madge back to the main road, admitting to Madge she wants to be sure he's eating actual food. Haymitch answers the door in a _quite a state_, as Madge's mother would say. Unshaven, bleary-eyed, and bracing himself against the door at an odd angle, he slurs at them, "Canchoo leave me alone for _one day_?"

Katniss doesn't seem put-off in the slightest by his condition or his rudeness. "I haven't seen you since Tuesday," she says calmly as she steps into the entryway and lifts the stew into his eyeline. "I'm putting this in your fridge. We made lamb stew. You should eat it."

Haymitch makes a face like the stew is an abomination and then his eyes slide past Katniss to Madge. He looks like he's trying to focus on her and keeps blinking. "What the hell is _she_ doing here?" He growls. "Come to finish me off, sweetheart?"

Alarmed at his hostile tone, Madge backs out the door. "Katniss, I'll wait on the porch, OK?"

Katniss nods, glaring at Haymitch. Madge stumbles backward and steadies herself on the porch railing. _Did Aunt Maysilee try to kill Haymitch? Did he end up killing her? _ She wonders if that's why he can't stand to even look at Madge…

A few minutes later, Katniss leans out of Haymitch's front door. "Madge? Can you go get Peeta?"

"What's wrong? Can I help?"

"I need Peeta," Katniss insists before closing the door. Madge worries for a moment whether she should get Mrs. Everdeen, but Katniss sounded more resigned than concerned. So does Peeta when Madge explains the situation to him. Peeta leaves quickly, apologizing to Markus about cutting their evening short and saying he can just let himself out whenever he's ready to go home.

Markus, looking as awkward as Madge feels, offers to walk back to town with her. "Haymitch is always drunk," Markus says authoritatively as they leave Peeta's house.

Madge ignores his comment as a statement of the obvious, busy thinking about the bond Katniss and Peeta seem to have with Haymitch. Maybe like her mother does. Victims of the Hunger Games, united in suffering?

Markus attempts to make conversation about how nice the houses are in the Victor's Village. "Probably some of the best houses in the district." He looks at one of the empty houses longingly.

"Yeah," she agrees absently.

"I mean, they're nothing compared to your house," Markus says quickly, almost as though he's concerned he offended her by not praising the mayor's residence.

"Our house is partly for official functions; it's not really the same," she points out.

"Oh." He sounds relieved she didn't take offense. "It'd be nice if these houses were available to the rest of us. Realistically speaking, what are our chances of having another victor any time soon?"

Madge starts to say that if all goes well there won't even be a reaping next year, but then she remembers that she's not doing much to prevent it and if Gale is, she doesn't know his plans. So she tells Markus diplomatically, "Well, maybe Katniss and Peeta will be such good mentors we'll get another victor."

As she speaks, she realizes Katniss and Peeta will have to re-live the Hunger Games each year as mentors. It hadn't really occurred to her before how difficult that must be, especially if your tributes die, which most do… It would be like how Katniss felt about Rue, but even worse... She feels a rare flicker of sympathy for Haymitch, and the more she thinks about it, the more she doesn't want Katniss and Peeta to turn into the next generation of Haymitches. Haunted by their own Games, compounded by fresh horrors each year to add to the memories... She's got to keep working on a way to stop the next reaping, Gale or no Gale.

"Markus," she says, making up her mind to start right then, "I've always been curious about the bakery. How many of your ingredients do you have to get from the Capitol?" He seems surprised at the odd question, but also relieved to have something to talk about and obligingly tells her about the shipments of flour, grains, and other raw materials. She continues to pepper him with questions about how long the bakery could sustain itself without the shipments, the shelf-lives of the ingredients, how much storage space they have… He doesn't seem suspicious at all, apparently assuming everyone else is as interested in the details of baking as the Mellarks.

Back at her house that evening, Madge records in an empty notebook all the information he'd told her. If she can find out similar information about the other merchants, she can start to get a sense of how long District 12 could survive without the Capitol's shipments, and exactly what they'd need to get. _Maybe there will be things we can make or find in the forest… Gale will know, and then he can go get… Well, fine, not Gale. Someone else._ She'll figure that part out.

* * *

**A/N to character:** Dear Madge, I love you to bits and I'm sorry it seemed like not much happened in your chapter. Maybe because you were occupied with taking one step backward and then moving forward again in a slightly different way. But you needed the recalibration and at least you got to hang out with Katniss and Peeta while you were setting up future plot developments. Hang tight!

**A/N to readers:** Thanks for sticking with me! Next update soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

Gale is determined to make some progress on an uprising, despite the fact that he's now Madge-less. Which was probably inevitable and shouldn't bother him as much as it does, but between the miners' disinterest in doing anything other than trudge through their monotonous workdays and Madge ditching him, he feels like he's the only one who cares that the Capitol is as evil as ever. The Parcel Day deliveries have made a noticeable improvement on people's quality of life – they're just not angry enough – and unfortunately Gale hasn't figured out a way to package and distribute his own excess rage for others to use…

He doesn't buy for a second that Madge is still working on her own without him, but he does take a page from her research-intensive approach and tries to learn more about the District 12 Peacekeepers, since without them the Capitol's orders have no force. One of those old articles she'd lent him had described the importance of controlling the military, which Gale _knew_ and didn't need some scholar telling him, but he still makes more of a conscious effort to chat with the Peacekeepers when he's trading at the Hob.

"Hey there, _Cousin_," Darius says with a saucy grin one Sunday. "How's the rest of the family?"

Gale bites back a retort, determined not to let any of the Hob regulars know how much it bothers him to hear them call him 'cousin,' since that would practically guarantee turning it into a permanent nickname. "Just fine."

"What's the haul today?"

Gale holds up the fish, beaver, and chestnuts he'd collected earlier with Katniss, who'd begged off on the Hob trip, saying she needed to get home early to prepare for some event. He suspects she wanted an excuse to not have to split the take.

Darius inspects the goods and asks, "But who's going to do the cooking?" He shoots a pleading glance at Greasy Sae.

"Name your price," she says, pouring some kind of batter on a griddle.

"My price is: poison Chef George," Darius mumbles.

"What?" Gale asks.

"The cook at the Lodge," Greasy Sae inserts, using the nickname for the Peacekeepers' lodging. "Not too imaginative in the mess, from what I hear."

"He's a disaster!" Darius moans before haggling with Gale to buy some fish for Greasy Sae to cook.

And that's how Gale gets the beginnings of an idea to eliminate the threat posed by the Peacekeepers… Maybe not poison – where would he get poison? And some of the Peacekeepers aren't that bad – but maybe he could get his hands on some kind of additive to put in their meals that would temporarily debilitate them when the timing is right…

#

Some time later, Gale and Katniss are skinning rabbits in the forest on a crisp winter day. Some of their old ease is returning, but certain topics remain off limits. Katniss never mentions Peeta or the Hunger Games, for example, and Gale never inquires. If she needs their time in the woods to be an escape from all that, then he'll preserve that protective bubble for her. When they're not coordinating hunting or foraging activities, they stick to safe topics like their families, the Hob regulars, and happenings in town.

To hear Katniss talk, she's been spending a lot of time with Madge, which annoys Gale, although he supposes Madge is better than Peeta. But since Peeta is Forbidden Topic Number One, Gale wouldn't know if Katniss spends every non-hunting waking moment with him or not.

"We come out here sometimes," Katniss says as she makes a clean incision to start removing the rabbit's skin. "I'm teaching her how to shoot."

"Really?" Gale's genuinely surprised that Madge did have the guts to go beyond the fence. He feels a strange pang of jealousy that he wasn't the one to show her, but then he remembers she abandoned him and tugs roughly at his rabbit's hide.

"We worked out a trade: she's teaching me to play the piano," Katniss says. "I can only play one-handed songs so far. She's really good, though."

"That's nice," Gale says mildly, hoping Katniss will take the hint and move on to a different topic.

"Maybe it would be if she played happy songs, but she's always picking the most depressing ones she can."

"Yes, because I'm sure her life is _so_ hard."

Katniss gives him a scolding look. "I think she's lonely. Her parents don't pay much attention to her, and I think I'm the only person our age who she spends any time with. Well, except for…" She trails off.

Gale's skin prickles, and he wonders if Madge told Katniss that he and Madge were friends. _Emphasis on 'were.'_ "Who?"

"Markus Mellark," Katniss mumbles, clearly embarrassed at mentioning Peeta even indirectly.

"_What?_ Markus is an ass." Gale declares, surprised at the news. He doubts Katniss will contradict him; that was an established fact between them ever since they stopped Markus from picking on Rory's friend after school one day a couple of years ago.

"He doesn't seem to be quite as bad anymore…" Gale can see Katniss is uncomfortable, hopefully because there's not much she can say in defense of someone so unworthy.

"Well, hopefully for Madge's sake he doesn't turn out like his mother," Gale says coolly. Another fact established between Gale and Katniss pre-Hunger Games: the awfulness of the baker's wife. Gale intends to have a go at Peeta – maybe he too will end up like Mrs. Mellark – and he can tell Katniss picks up on the insult because she sets aside her now-skinned rabbit and hops up, ending the conversation.

"I thought I saw a turkey over there." She walks over to a nearby bushy area, leaving Gale alone with his thoughts.

Markus Mellark really is awful; Gale wasn't only trying to provoke Katniss. He can't imagine even a 'not as bad' version of Markus being someone Madge could stomach for more than five minutes. But he can see the attraction from Markus' perspective: his social standing has recently been elevated as the relative of a victor, so maybe now he thinks he has a shot at the mayor's daughter. And since mayors are appointed, maybe he can insert himself into consideration by increasing his visibility. If Madge falls for that kind of thinking, she absolutely deserves someone as vile as Markus Mellark.

He finishes with his own rabbit, walks in the opposite direction from Katniss, and starts whacking at the brush with a stick under the guise of flushing game.

#

The following week Gale feels guilty about how he acted with Katniss on Sunday – not guilty enough to apologize, just enough to torment himself – and it's all the worse because Katniss has to leave for the Victory Tour and he won't see her again until she gets back. Or, more accurately: he won't see her in person until she gets back. He'll see plenty of her on TV. If he forces himself to watch, which he's still not sure about. Whatever the situation is between Katniss and Peeta, when they're in front of cameras they're sickening and he doesn't think he can stomach much of it. He wishes Katniss would talk to him; but he's made it clear how he feels and where did that get him? Apparently to a place where even a minor reference to Peeta's _brother_ leads to a strain between them.

The night before Katniss is supposed to leave, the Hawthorne household is awoken in the middle of the night by loud knocking on the door. Gale wakes from his sleep in a jolt, worrying that one of the miners has pointed him out as a potential troublemaker and that the managers have sent some thugs over to set him straight…

He gets to the door first, bracing for who he might see, and is shocked to find Madge, red-eyed and hugging herself in a long overcoat.

"Madge?" She's never visited his home, and definitely not in the middle of the night. Not to mention he thought they hated each other. She's hyperventilating and can't get any words out, so he pulls her inside and seats her at the kitchen table. His mother is awake now too, already pouring a cup of water for her and patting her reassuringly on the back.

"There, there, dear," Mrs. Hawthorne says. "Slow, deep breaths… Slow, slow, there you go…" She looks at him questioningly over Madge's head. He realizes he's been standing uselessly next to the table and sits down in the chair next to Madge. She's calmer now, but her breathing is still ragged. It's scaring him a little – what could have caused her to react like this? Did that bastard Markus Mellark bother her…?

Posy, awake from all the commotion, wriggles her way next to Madge. "Do you want to hold Mr. Bunny?" Posy hesitantly places a ratty looking rag with button eyes and the vague shape of ears on Madge's lap. "He helps me feel better."

Madge sniffles and picks up Mr. Bunny, looking at Posy gratefully. "Thank you." Posy smiles shyly in response and stays by Madge, watching her curiously.

Madge seems to suddenly become aware of the rest of the Hawthornes, gathered in the kitchen and sleepily mystified as to her unexpected appearance. She looks at Mrs. Hawthorne and says tearfully, "I'm so sorry for disturbing your family. I didn't know what else to do…" She glances at Gale and her composure starts to disintegrate again.

"What is it?" He asks, still stunned by her sudden appearance.

"I need to talk to you," she says. It strikes him as strangely intimate for this girl to show up hysterical at his house in the middle of the night with the urgent need to talk to him. He wonders what his mother thinks… She must realize this is the mayor's daughter…

Mrs. Hawthorne starts herding the kids back into the bedrooms. "Gale, I started the kettle if you'd like some tea."

Gale nods in thanks. Madge is staring intently at Mr. Bunny. Her skin is blotchy from being outside in the cold, all the crying, and whatever else is bothering her. He hears the bedroom doors close, but when Madge still mutely stares at the rag doll he finally has to ask her again what she needed to talk about.

She closes her eyes as if pained. "I think my house is under surveillance. By the Capitol. I think all those wires they were installing were listening devices, not TV hook-ups." Madge looks up at him, eyes wide in alarm. "Gale, I don't even remember what I've said at home! They could know all sorts of things…"

He stands up and starts pacing, straining to remember what they've said while in her house. Usually they're concerned about being overheard – by the other people in the house, not sinister listening devices – and don't say much until they're outside. But have they always been excruciatingly careful? No…

"That's not the worst of it," Madge chokes out. "The president is coming here, to Twelve, tomorrow. Gale, do you think he'll arrest us?" She loses it and starts crying again.

He sits down in the chair again and looks intently at her. "I can't remember us talking about anything specific in your house. Can you?"

She shakes her head. "No, but I don't remember… And I look through my father's papers sometimes – do you think they know that, too? What if they arrest my father? He didn't do anything!"

Gale restrains himself from pointing out that Mayor Undersee not doing anything is standard operating procedure. "What makes you think President Snow has any reason to suspect anything about you? Do you know the official reason for his trip?"

"Kicking off the Victory Tour. There's going to be some kind of surprise event at the train station."

Hearing the words Victory Tour makes Gale think of Katniss, and suddenly he realizes something. "I think they bugged the Victor's Village homes, too. I saw the same workers with wires at Katniss' house before yours. We need to warn her."

Madge nods miserably.

Gale hears the tea kettle start to whistle and pulls it off the range to make two cups of tea. He calmly asks Madge to go over exactly how she figured out her house was being bugged.

Madge accepts the mug and wraps her fingers around it, staring at the rising swirls of vapor. "My parents have always treated me like I'm about ten years old – they don't tell me anything, they try to protect me… But it's gotten worse lately, not better. If I ask them anything too personal or too political, they change the subject or just stop talking. I thought it was weird, but I haven't been getting along with them lately for… other reasons, so I thought that was it. But there have been other strange things, too, like when my father asked me about a piano song I wrote a few weeks ago. It was going to be a surprise for my parents. I only ever worked on it when I was at home alone, and I mean not even Lulu and Frank. I played the song for Katniss one day when we were the only people in the house, and told her I'd written it in honor of my grandmother. Then a few days later my father asked me specifically about the song I'd written for Grandma Reena. Katniss wouldn't have said anything to him, so then I started wondering how he knew about the song. It was as though he'd overheard me that day with Katniss when nobody else was home…"

"Wait," Gale interrupts. "I thought you said the Capitol was bugging your house, not your father."

"It is," Madge says dully. "I found the files in his office tonight after he went to bed. The Capitol does the monitoring and sends him a daily memo. I think it's to remind him that he can't hide anything from them."

_Sick sick sick_. He can't believe Madge has to live with this kind of stuff happening in her house. He also thinks that scare tactic to control the mayor sounds about right, but it doesn't make sense why the Capitol is bothering to keep track of trivialities like what piano songs the mayor's daughter is playing. "What else is in the memos? Why do they care what you're doing?"

Madge takes a sip of tea and looks like she's trying to remember. She describes that some of her father's staff hold meetings and events at her house, so those are summarized in the memo, as are lists of any visitors.

"You're in there," she says apologetically. "In the earliest reports there are things like 'mayor's daughter developing troubling connection with miner' but later they figured out your name. My parents started pestering me about you, and I think those reports are why."

"Did you see anything that made us look like threats?"

She shakes her head. "No, not really. From the memos it looks more like you were… interested in me, which I know is totally not the case," she adds hurriedly, "so I guess it helps that we haven't even talked in so long." Madge sets her mug on the table. "I just wish I could remember what we'd said!"

"If there was anything too alarming, they'd probably have arrested us already," he points out grimly.

Madge shudders but appears to accept his logic. Then she looks up at him with an expression of wounded betrayal. "Gale, my father has known our house was under surveillance! Why wouldn't he warn me?"

Gale thinks her father not telling her about the surveillance is despicable, but he limits himself to saying, "I'd take that as an encouragement he doesn't suspect anything of you other than an unseemly fondness for the lower classes."

Madge ponders his words for a few moments in silence, and then exhales loudly and stands to leave. "Please, please apologize to your mother again for me tomorrow. I needed to warn you before the president got here. Please be careful…"

Gale stands up as well, and retrieves a coat so he can walk Madge home, waving off her protests that she'll be fine on her own. A layer of frost has covered the ground and the icy air stings his exposed skin. They try to stay in shadows and quietly crunch their way from the Seam to the town square. He's disgusted, but not surprised, to hear about the surveillance, and is disturbed by how upset Madge is. She really was getting in over her head by spying and passing information to him… It's clear she hadn't realized the potential impacts of her actions until faced with the reality of the consequences. It was just a diversion for her… Maybe some kind of excuse to spend time with him, if she had a crush… But it also sounds like she's been snooping around in her father's study – so maybe she hasn't completely given up on the idea of a rebellion? He looks over at her guiltily, blaming himself for drawing her into this.

They finally reach the square, and are about to traverse it when Gale notices a movement. A lone figure is sitting in the front row of chairs in front of the screen used for mandatory viewings. Gale gestures for Madge to follow him on a detour, but she stops and squints. "It's Peeta…"

Gale looks more closely and sees that the tightly bundled person is indeed Peeta. "What the hell is he doing?"

Madge peers out across the square. "I've seen him at night before. When I can't sleep, I watch the square and he seems to wander around at night a lot. I guess he has trouble sleeping too…" She sounds sympathetic, but Gale has a difficult time mustering any emotion in association with Peeta Mellark other than irritation. "Come on, let's warn him about the surveillance in their houses," she says. "He can tell Katniss."

Gale reluctantly trails behind Madge as she approaches Peeta, who senses movement and looks over. Peeta stands up and watches Madge and Gale walk toward him. "Guess I'm not the only one who thought it was a nice night for a walk, huh?" He keeps looking back and forth between Gale and Madge. "I didn't know you two were… friends."

"Peeta," Madge says urgently, ignoring his comment and the fact that it's odd for any of them to be roaming around in the middle of the night. "We think the Victors' houses are under surveillance by the Capitol."

Peeta blinks once, as though he can't believe the news.

"I'm serious," Madge continues. "Electronic bugging devices or something like that. Gale saw them installing the wires before you all moved in."

Peeta's expression transforms into a cryptic smile. "_Of course_ our houses are bugged. What are we going to do about it? We know they're listening. They always are."

Gale crosses his arms and feels incrementally better that at least Katniss isn't going to be surprised by this news. Unlike Madge, who's gaping at Peeta in astonishment. "How can you bear it?"

"Well, it's an improvement over being trapped in the arena so…"

"She just figured out they're listening at the mayor's house, too," Gale adds, to explain Madge's reaction.

Peeta raises his eyebrows at Madge. "Figured out the hard way you're not allowed the luxury of privacy?"

Madge blushes, which annoys Gale because if Peeta didn't already suspect he and Madge were sneaking around together (which admittedly, they are right now but it's not what Peeta probably thinks), now he has even more reason. And the last thing Gale needs is Peeta telling Katniss that Gale is wandering around in the middle of the night with her only other friend.

"I'm worried," Madge admits, "about whether I've said things inadvertently that might endanger other people…"

"Like what?"

Gale cuts her off. "Does it matter?" He isn't entirely sure he trusts Peeta.

"I can't remember," Madge says, ignoring Gale. "That's what's so awful!"

Peeta appears to think for a moment. "Well, whatever you may have said, you're still the mayor's daughter – you're probably safe because you have a high profile."

Madge glances nervously at Gale. Peeta looks at him as well and says apologetically, "Probably not as safe…" Gale scowls; he agrees but he doesn't need Mellark vocalizing it. And Madge doesn't need anything extra to worry about.

Thankfully, Madge doesn't reveal any of their secrets to Peeta. Gale is still suspicious of Peeta as a puppet of the Capitol and doesn't want him to know just how treasonous he and Madge are. Well, mostly him, since Madge seemed to just let herself get swept up in it.

"You know," Peeta says earnestly, looking at Madge, "if you don't like my brother you can just tell him to go away. Don't worry about hurting his feelings or anything."

Madge blushes bright red and Gale inwardly winces at her apparent confirmation of Peeta's implication that her affections are directed elsewhere. Like toward him.

"It's late," Gale says in an attempt to end the conversation, and takes a step away from Peeta to hasten their departure.

Madge follows him, and then pauses. "I hope the tour goes well, Peeta."

"Uh, thanks. I guess it will be interesting to see the other districts…" He sounds decidedly unenthusiastic.

"I'd love to travel to the other districts," Madge says. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if there weren't travel restrictions so we could all coordinate…" She looks at Gale and seems to realize she's saying too much, but Gale's more interested in the fact that she's apparently still thinking about a rebellion.

Peeta is preoccupied, though, and doesn't notice Madge's slip-up. "We have to give speeches. To the families of people we either killed or as good as killed by outlasting… I have no idea what we can say that won't come off as… awful."

Gale is pretty sure that when Peeta says 'we' he means himself, since Katniss will want nothing to do with those speeches. "You'll think of something great," Gale says with false joviality, punching Peeta with a little more gusto than qualifies as 'friendly.'

Peeta looks like he can't tell if Gale was just looking for an excuse to hit him or was truly trying to give him encouragement. Gale actually doesn't know himself – the task does sound gruesome and he thinks if anyone could find the right thing to say, it would be Peeta. But he did also like getting to punch the guy.

He makes sure Madge gets back to her house – her creepy, surveillance-infested house – and worries the entire walk back to his own house about how valid his reassurances to her were…

* * *

**A/N:** My take on how President Snow knew about Katniss and Gale... Thanks to all my lovely reviewers!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Crazy time of year and revising this chapter took longer than I expected.

* * *

Part 9

Back in her house, Madge is too anxious to sleep, with countless terrifying scenarios unfolding in her mind. When the sky turns light grey, she stops pretending, throws on some clothes, and moves to the game room on the second floor where she can monitor the District 12 hovercraft landing area from the windows. The memo she'd found the night before in the locked drawer in her father's study had said the president would be arriving by hovercraft in the morning, but hadn't been specific about his arrival time or schedule. He rarely visits, preferring to send Secretary Redwell on his behalf whenever there are delicate issues, so Madge doesn't know what to expect.

Nobody is awake yet in the Undersee house, but as Madge keeps her eyes trained on the landing pad she starts to hear the usual morning sounds: Lulu letting herself in and starting breakfast, her father slipping into his study to check the overnight developments, her mother singing in the shower. How can they all be acting like everything is normal when her world could implode any second now? Madge declines Lulu's offer of breakfast and doesn't stray from the window in the game room until she's distracted by the sound of her mother's voice in the hallway, initially whispering but rising in agitation.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," her mother hisses, presumably to Madge's father. Madge listens closely, alert to the possibility that her mother also just learned of the surveillance. She'd assumed her mother knew already since her father discusses nearly everything about his job with her, but maybe not… A cautious glance into the hallway reveals her parents facing off beside the open hallway closet, which her father looks like he's blocking.

"Marilyn, I didn't find out until late last night and you were already asleep." Madge's father is speaking in a quiet, insistent tone. "It will be fine. Just stay upstairs if you don't feel up to entertaining."

"_Entertaining_? Is that what it's called?" Madge cringes, not used to hearing her mother speak in such a harsh, scornful tone. Her parents rarely fight, and when they do it's usually more of a squabble about where to hang a new painting or whether they really need to invite the Tammerlins over again so soon (Madge usually sides with her father on that particular issue; they're obnoxious).

"_Give it over, Cliff_." Madge's mother reaches for something in the closet and Madge knows without having to see that it's the morphling box. _And that would be the third category of fight, actually_, Madge thinks to herself. The worst and rarest kind, where Madge wants to hide in her closet and magically wake up belonging to a different family. She grips the doorframe and tries to stay out of view.

"Mar, you don't need it; save it for when you do. Just stay upstairs. Everybody will understand if you're not feeling well."

"How _accommodating_ of them," Mrs. Undersee snarls. "I refuse to be conscious while that man is-" Her mother cuts herself off and Madge doesn't hear anything else until her mother tearfully pleads, "Don't make me."

Madge wants to start crying herself, it's so hard to hear her mother like this. She knows her father is probably hugging and comforting her and is about two seconds from giving in like he always does. The fact that Madge can't decide if that's good or bad is what makes these fights, if they can even be called that, so disturbing.

The front doorbell pierces the quiet, sending a volt of terror through Madge. A quick look out the game room window confirms that a hovercraft has indeed landed. She curses herself for missing it because now she doesn't know how many people the president brought with him, and if some are off arresting Gale.

In the hallway, Madge sees her mother disappear up the stairs to the third floor with the small brown box and knows her father is already on his way downstairs to greet the visitors. She flies down the stairs just as her father is shaking hands with President Snow, Secretary Redwell, and two men she doesn't recognize. No Simon. Is that a sign he confessed he showed her how to adjust the population database and was arrested himself?

Madge takes a step backward, hoping to avoid detection since she's only half-way down the flight of stairs, but it's too late: Secretary Redwell spots her and calls out a greeting in her classic falsely friendly tone. "Margaret, how delightful to see you again."

Madge's father flinches and shoots Madge a look she doesn't understand before he starts ushering everyone into the parlor, but President Snow pauses and watches Madge interestedly.

"What a lovely creature, Mayor Undersee," he says, examining Madge. "Seventeen now, I take it?" Madge's father looks paralyzed, so Secretary Redwell nods in confirmation and the President continues talking as though he and the Secretary are having a private conversation, although obviously his speech is for the benefit of all present. "Such a lively age. Everything is so _dramatic_." He smiles indulgently and Madge feels herself recoiling. "So many choices and crossroads. Will she be a devoted wife and mother like the equally lovely Mrs. Undersee? Although hopefully without her mother's… unfortunate condition. Perhaps she'll follow her father into public service? I presume she has been invited to our illustrious training program?" Secretary Redwell confirms again with a satisfied nod. "Wonderful." He smiles again at Madge and she forces herself not to cringe. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Undersee."

Madge's father looks tense as he holds the door open to the study, and breaks away to speak to Madge, still frozen on the steps trying to decipher the president's speech. Was he threatening her? Her father? Does the president know what she and Gale had been trying to plan?

"Didn't know you were awake yet," her father says quietly. "Keep an eye on your mother upstairs, all right?" He's using his patronizing _Madge is a toddler_ tone that normally annoys her, but here she welcomes it as his attempt to get her away from the Capitol visitors. Madge doesn't want to be in the same room as them (although listening in on the other side of the wall is another story and something she can't do from upstairs…).

Unfortunately, she doesn't end up getting to do either; the younger of the president's aides leaves the parlor and asks to interview Madge for her perspective on the youth of District 12. The others converse in the parlor and all Madge can hear is the faint murmur of voices. In response to the aide's questions, she does her best to portray 'the youth' of Twelve as complacent and content, happy to have both their tributes back. Through careful questioning, she learns from the aide that the president's traveling party only included the three who arrived with him at her house, which hopefully means nobody is arresting Gale at the moment. Although maybe they sent Peacekeepers...

After about a half hour, the parlor opens and Madge promptly slips into the kitchen to avoid any further unsettling interactions. Luckily, everyone leaves: the president and his two aides take a car toward the Victor's Village while Madge's father and Secretary Redwell walk over to the Justice Building. The president must be visiting Katniss and Peeta; if he were going to the mines or the Seam the car would have gone in the opposite direction. Secretary Redwell will not stoop to the level of confronting Gale – she leaves those tasks to others – so it's doubtful the president would either. Still, that doesn't rule out the aides or the Peacekeepers.

Madge hovers in the kitchen, which affords a view of the road to and from the Victor's Village. Lulu, in the midst of cleaning out the refrigerator, doesn't appear to appreciate the company of a jittery girl. "Are you sure you don't need help, Madge?"

"I'm fine," Madge says, and then gets an idea and starts digging through the cupboard and putting items into a basket. "Just going on a picnic later; have to get what I need."

"You do know it's snowing?"

"It's a snow picnic," she improvises, tossing some dried apricots into the basket and keeping one eye on the road.

#

Gale mostly believes his assurances to Madge that they would have been arrested (or worse) long ago if anyone from the Capitol truly suspected them of anything, but he's still on edge at work, anxious he'll be summoned and arrested for treason, and nervous about his family too, although he took as many precautions as he could. He'd convinced his mother to take Posy to visit Mrs. Sawyer, whose husband had died recently – he doesn't want them at home during the president's visit in case he's being targeted – and warned Rory and Vick to stay in the yard at recess at school (he knows Rory, in particular, has grown pretty bold about 'side trips' lately; Gale had been the same way, never interested in staying within any kind of fence).

He thinks his brothers will be safe enough surrounded by all the other kids at school, but he rushes home during his lunch break to check on his mother and Posy. They're back from their visit, sitting at the kitchen table with – _Madge_? Who looks just as out of place in the Hawthorne kitchen as she did last night.

"Gale! Did something happen at work?" His mother shoots up from her seat in alarm; he never comes home during his break.

"Forgot my work gloves…" He sees both his mother and Madge visibly relax, but Madge's presence makes Gale nervous that she has more bad news. He frowns at her and asks, "Is everything all right?"

She nods and looks so relieved he takes it as confirmation that the president has left already and nobody is after them. He exhales a breath he didn't realize he was holding and opens the hall closet to grab an old hat that he can pretend is his forgotten gloves. "How was Mrs. Sawyer, Mom?"

"Oh, she wasn't feeling up to guests so we'll try again tomorrow," his mother reports to Gale's dismay. He reminds himself it's all right that they were home since nothing happened, but it still scares him that they're so vulnerable and that he's so powerless. He feels the intense recurring instinct to _get them out of the district_ to somewhere he can actually protect them, like the forest.

"Gale, the crying girl brought us _this_," Posy announces, happily hugging a large basket overflowing with bread and fruit.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing all of you last night," Madge says, clearly repeating earlier expressed sentiments.

"You didn't need to bring us anything," Gale says tersely, prompting his mother to insert that she's already told Madge that several times already to no avail.

"Please, I feel so terrible. I know it can't begin to make up for my appalling behavior-"

"I have to get back to work," Gale interrupts. This isn't going anywhere and he doesn't have time for etiquette debates – the shift bell is going to ring soon and he still needs to find out what Madge knows. Luckily she must be thinking the same thing because she leaves with him, stalling only a few more times to keep apologizing to his mother as she pulls on her coat.

Once they're outside she quickly explains that the president visited briefly with her father and probably with Katniss and Peeta, but then left about an hour ago. "He didn't even stay to see them off at the train station. Nothing happened to you today, did it?"

He shakes his head. "Fine so far…"

"Good. Sorry for going to your house again, I just knew you had to work and I got worried about them… And of course, I wanted to apologize."

"Thanks. I guess," he says, still a little uneasy with her giving them the food but grateful she thought to check on his family. Exactly what protection Madge could provide is unclear, but still it was good of her.

Before he can say anything else the shift bell sounds, prompting him to swear loudly in the street – he thought he could get home and back within the allotted time. Even being a few minutes late means the bastards will dock him a half-day's wages, although he'll readily admit it was worth it to confirm his family's safety. "Gotta go," he yells as he darts off, sifting through possible excuses that might fly for his tardiness.

The rest of the workday passes without incident, and when Gale arrives at his house that evening he smells… something that reminds him of the bakery? He opens the oven, releasing an intoxicating spicy aroma from a sumptuous looking pie.

"It's warming," his mother explains, scooping some vegetables she'd been cutting into the stew pot. "Courtesy of your new friend. And beaver stew for dinner, thanks to Katniss."

"I'm helping!" Posy announces from the floor where she's surrounded by carrot tops.

"You're helping clean, aren't you, Posy bear?" Mrs. Hawthorne coos toward the floor. Then she looks up and smiles at her son. "Now, are you going to explain why the mayor's daughter turned up hysterical looking for you in the middle of the night?"

"Why, what did she say?"

"Oh, she was very cagey," Mrs. Hawthorne says in a pleasant tone that Gale knows she's using to avoid alerting Posy that anything is awry.

Gale makes an indeterminate noise, searching for a way to avoid this conversation. "Where are Vick and Rory?"

"Cinder ball, and you're not changing the subject, young man. What was upsetting that girl?"

"Mom, it's probably better if I don't say anything," Gale says wearily.

"No, honey, it's not better. I just need to know: do I need to worry about the mayor being unhappy with you?"

"What do you mean?" He doesn't like the tone of this conversation.

"Sammy's mother said you visit her fairly regularly."

"Who?"

"Vick's friend Sammy? His mother works for the mayor's family."

_Oh, Lulu._ Forget the Capitol's surveillance; the gossip hive of Seam mothers should never, ever be underestimated. "Mom, she's Katniss' friend. We have… stuff we need to talk about sometimes."

"Oh yes, all very urgent and can't wait until waking hours?"

"Apparently." He is definitely not volunteering any additional explanation.

"Gale," his mother says in a more serious tone, "Have you thought about the mayor's reaction, and his wife? I know this girl can make her own decisions, but what if her parents make life difficult for you? Sammy's mother said Mrs. Undersee is very… class conscious."

"Did Lulu also happen to mention I haven't even been there in months? And that all her gossiping is totally baseless?" Gale snaps, irritated at the idea of anyone cataloging his movements. It quickly shifts into anger that his mother has to think about stuff like this – the safety of their family just because Madge came to their house and brought them some food. (He tries to ignore that his mother should be concerned about their safety for other, more legitimate reasons related to Madge. But hopefully Lulu doesn't know or gossip about _those_ reasons.)

Gale makes an effort to calm down and reminds himself that none of this is his mother's fault. "Mom, there's nothing to worry about. She's very proper and has probably been tormenting herself that she woke us all up."

His mother gives him her _I'm not buying it but I'm not fighting you on it_ smile and turns her attention back to the stew. "I've said my piece. You're free to make your own decisions."

Gale leaves so he can change out of his sooty mining clothes, grateful his mother dropped the subject but still a little uneasy. Since he started working, she's been trying to give him more space, although somewhat inconsistently. Like tonight – she'll go from giving him one of her 'young man' lectures to saying 'it's your life' as though she doesn't want to smother him now that by all District 12 measures he's an adult. Out of reaping contention, working in the mines… He doesn't feel any different than he did before he started working, but he's felt like an adult for years now so that's not surprising.

He hears Rory and Vick tumble into the house a few minutes later, no doubt covered in more soot than usual after their cinder ball game. They flutter around the kitchen excitedly, debating whether girls are really as awful a species as they thought, considering all the food they've been getting lately from them. Gale braces himself for an onslaught of annoying questions when he joins his family in the kitchen, but they're more focused on enjoying the food than discussing its source. Or maybe it's just that his mother is too nice and his brothers are too scared of him to risk hassling him. Whatever the case, he focuses on his relief that they're all safe. And on the sheer _perfection_ of the pie.

#

The rest of the week slides by with Gale slogging through his days underground and dully watching Katniss and Peeta be in love on the nightly Victory Tour broadcasts. He feels exhausted trying to figure out what's going through Katniss' head. She's clearly uncomfortable appearing in public, but seems more relaxed when she's clinging to Peeta and letting him speak for them, which doesn't exactly make Gale feel better. Neither does all the kissing, giggling and other nonsense (_is there a quota for each night or something?_). Aside from making Gale feel ill, it's all so utterly unlike Katniss it leaves him disoriented.

When he gets home from work on Saturday, Rory tells him he ran into Madge at the community center that afternoon and that she asked Gale to meet her at the cemetery after dinner. Gale had worried that another threat had emerged, but Rory said she didn't seem agitated so he lets himself look forward to having an excuse to avoid not-watching the broadcast that night (the TV is usually always on and even when he pretends to be occupied with other tasks, Gale can't help watching…)

He finds Madge waiting in front of her aunt's marker, like he expected. It's a chilly night, but he feels a different kind of chill as he watches her: the moonlight reflecting off her pale hair makes her look like a ghost hovering among the gravestones. It's unnerving and he tries to push the image out of his head, wishing she hadn't wanted to meet in the cemetery of all places. But when he clears his throat to announce his presence, she turns and smiles gratefully, looking alive again. "You came. I'm sorry for talking to your brother. I didn't want to bother your whole family again and since I ran into him today…"

"Did something else happen?"

Madge shakes her head and looks around the graveyard uneasily. "No. I wanted to show you something. But it's a little hard to find, so we needed to meet first." She walks through the graveyard to the forested back area, and then climbs over the low wooden fence and pushes her way through the thick undergrowth and trees. Gale has never been in this area before. It's within the district's boundaries, but he's always assumed it was where the graveyard would expand when necessary since there aren't any houses nearby. Clumps of snow fall onto their heads as they disturb the trees.

After a few minutes, they end up at a storage shed, which Madge unlocks with a small key. It's filled with gardening supplies and other graveyard maintenance tools, and there's an area of disturbed ground below a small window on one of the walls. Madge kneels on the ground near the disturbed area and gently digs, unearthing a sealed crate. She pulls the lid off and reveals its contents to Gale: canned goods.

"From the leftover Parcel Day packages – you know, the ones in the basement of the Justice Building? I want to be sure they're accessible outside of the building."

Recognition dawns… "You figured out a way to get the boxes out?"

"Sort of. Nobody pays attention to me in the Justice Building, so I've been sneaking into the room and putting whatever I can into this basket." She lifts a basket next to her covered with pine branches, smiling deviously. "I have this wonderful new hobby of making wreathes. It requires a lot of walking into forested areas with a basket. Imagine that. It will take a while this way to move everything, but what else am I doing?"

Gale stares at her for a second – she's been transporting the parcels. Actually taking actions, not just talking or planning. She's doing more than _he_ is. Way more. "Does this mean you want to work together again?"

Madge nods, still kneeling next to the crate, looks up at him and says solemnly, "I'm not all talk, Gale. I'm serious about wanting to do something real. I'm… sorry for cutting you out. I can't really do this on my own."

He'd reached the same conclusion long ago: they're both necessary. Madge is the link to information about the other districts and the inner workings of Twelve, but she'd never be able to get all the miners or Seam residents - by far the majority of the district's residents - to trust her or take any action without someone like Gale. He sits down across from her on the other side of the crate and says reluctantly, "I won't… not follow through on something I've said I'll do again." It pains him to share in any of the blame, but he does have to acknowledge he could see why she thought he'd left her on her own. He just wants to return to how they were before as quickly as possible and with the least amount of discussion.

She smiles and looks so sweet and innocent he has to remind himself she's a treasonous little schemer. Just like him. No, strike that: they're idealistic revolutionaries intent on overthrowing the evil scum who force children to kill one another once a year and starve and work to death their citizens the rest of the time. He smirks as he thinks about how unsurprising it is that nobody suspects Madge of anything duplicitous at the Justice Building – she really does exude earnest obedience.

But he also feels obligated to make sure she understands what she's getting into. Wasn't not realizing that the reason she freaked out? "Madge, you understand that all this – " he gestures to the crate and the shed – "is evidence against you if anyone can link you here?"

"I know the laws," she says, watching him with a challenging expression.

"And the punishments?"

"Yes," she says impatiently. "The laws _and_ the punishments are totally screwed up and will be the first things we fix."

He can't help smiling at her insistence; maybe those boring articles will eventually be good for something. "Just checking, because you could barely even breathe the other night."

"But we were fine," Madge points out. "It turned out OK."

"This time. What about next time?" He's been asking himself that same question lately and is a little surprised that Madge seems to have been emboldened by their not having been caught. He narrows his eyes at her, still slightly suspicious of her motivations. "Why are you doing this, Madge? _Really_?"

"They're _wrong_, Gale," she says in a low, angry tone that he's grateful isn't directed at him. "In every single possible way they could be and more. They're listening in at my house so they can manipulate my father – how is that any way to govern? _The Hunger Games?_ I know I don't need to convince you." She exhales impatiently, as though offended he even asked her, but then reconsiders and adds, "I guess I also feel responsible, since I'm in a position to know what's really going on and to do something about it. Isn't that how you feel, too?"

Gale agrees with Madge's reasons, but for him it boils down to: the Capitol is filled with evil, twisted murderers and he's not going to let them hurt any more of his loved ones. "They're bullies who need to be stopped," he says decisively. "If I can do anything to get rid of them, I will."

Madge stares at him for a moment and then says, "I _know_ there are more people like us. I don't know who they are here in Twelve, but people in the other districts are getting more agitated. I can't make out what's happening, but my father's been getting more pressure about security here."

"Is he doing anything differently?"

"No; he keeps saying we're probably the only truly happy district because we got both of our tributes back and all the spoils of victory. It seems to be working for now, but he's not the one in charge of the Peacekeepers..."

"Do you know enough that we could coordinate something here with what the other districts are doing? Not that we're anywhere near ready," he admits.

Madge shakes her head. "No. I'm not even sure what anyone else is doing."

He sighs and looks around the shed. "We'll need more food. This is enough for one family for a few days. We're talking about the entire district for who knows how long."

Madge smiles mischievously and tells him she not only broke into the population database a few months ago, but she altered their numbers upward so there are now several months worth of extra parcels in the Justice Building. After getting over his initial shock, Gale silently calculates all the time they wasted and decides there's no use dwelling on it, but makes a mental note for the future to not underestimate her again.

They proceed to brainstorm about what else they should do and Gale starts to feel energized again that maybe some kind of resistance movement is actually a possibility. Madge says she'll keep sneaking Parcel Day goods out of the Justice Building, and will help get a duplicate made of the key to the mining tools storage area if Gale can get his hands on it for a few hours. They also debate other people they could convince to help them. Gale feels confident trusting his close friends from school and crewmates in the mines, but doesn't want to start spreading word until they have a better plan – their vague ideas aren't exactly confidence-inspiring. He's also nervous about his family being targeted and wants to be sure the risks are worth it or that he can move them somewhere safer if necessary. Madge admits she doesn't know which of the town families she can trust; most are loyal to the Capitol or at least pretend to be. She suggests enlisting Katniss and Gale agrees they can talk to her when she gets back, although he's reluctant to give her anything new to worry about. Still, maybe Katniss will know more about what's happening in the other districts. And however she does or doesn't feel about Gale, surely she'll still hate the Capitol and want to help take it down...

Madge digs in her pocket and hands him a key. "Nobody else ever comes here. As you can probably tell from the state of the cemetery."

"Thanks," he says, pocketing the key and helping Madge conceal the crate again. "So, did you get rid of Markus Mellark yet?" He keeps his tone conversational, hoping they can just clear the air related to her hopefully former crush.

"I don't think I treated him very well," Madge admits guiltily and, Gale is pleased to note, without blushing. "I was just trying to learn about the bakery's shipping schedules, but my parents saw and kept inviting him over for these awkward dinners even when I told them not to. Maybe because of the surveillance, I don't know." She wrinkles her nose slightly as if remembering something distasteful. "I finally just started yawning whenever he'd ask me anything. And I faked falling asleep at dinner one night. He either thinks I'm incredibly rude or have some sort of sleeping disorder."

Gale hides a smile, entertained at how sly Madge is beneath her sweet, obedient exterior. "Good for you. I hate that guy."

Madge glances over. "Yeah?"

"He's a jerk."

"Oh, I don't know," she says lightly. "He did give you a pie. Unintentionally."

"I'm _sure_ he'd appreciate a thank you note from my family that his pie was wasted on us." Madge laughs and finish hiding the crate again. Gale tests his key to lock up the shed, and feels more optimistic than he has in months as he walks back home.

* * *

A/N: OK, long chapter. I'm still pretty new to writing in this format and fully confess total confusion at how long I want chapters to be. I know I've been all over the place... Learning process, right? Thanks for reading. :)


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

"Almost over," Mrs. Hawthorne tells Gale in what he assumes is an attempt to comfort him. She smiles and then turns her attention back to the sweater she's knitting for Vick.

They're all in the living room crowded around the little television, watching scenes of Katniss and Peeta in the Capitol for the Victory Tour and Gale's foul mood must be outwardly apparent. For one thing, it's taking a monumental effort to not get too annoyed at the boisterous game of 'Attack of the Tickle Monster' that Vick and Posy are playing (the game's most disruptive feature: Posy jumping on Gale as the 'safe base' approximately every five seconds). And beyond barely even being able to watch the stupid broadcast, he's worried about Katniss – she looks like she's getting skinnier, which is incongruous since by all accounts there's ample food on the tour. He wouldn't be surprised if her handlers are keeping her from eating in order to manipulate her, but she's still playing along at happiness at the formal events and he's left wondering as usual.

Still, like his mother pointed out, it's almost over and he's itching to see her in person again. She's never volunteered to talk about anything even slightly related to the Hunger Games with him and he's assumed she likes their hunting trips to be an escape from that world, but when she comes back he's got to ask and she's got to tell him. Maybe she'll be able to tell him what's happening in the other districts. Most importantly, once this awful tour is over surely they can resume some kind of normalcy.

But then Katniss gets _engaged to Peeta Mellark_ and Gale immediately stops looking forward to seeing her. _Engaged_. It's too surreal to process. When Katniss says yes and starts hugging Peeta excitedly, Gale is so confused he has to ask, "What just happened?"

"Peeta just proposed to Katniss and she said yes," Rory offers hesitantly, as though he's worried Gale is a bomb about to go off.

Gale frowns. "I'm not the only one who thinks that's crazy, am I?"

Mrs. Hawthorne has stopped her knitting and casts a worried, disapproving look at the screen. "No," she finally says.

"Maybe it's not real…" Rory suggests.

"Does it matter?" Gale snaps. "It's on TV." He hands Posy over to Rory so he can pace the house, barely aware of his family warily trying to avoid getting in his way, his thoughts a jumble of trying to sort out who he hates the most. The Capitol obviously. Peeta obviously. Katniss for _not being Katniss_ anymore. Whoever invented televisions. Whoever keeps filming every single breath Katniss and Peeta take. Himself for not volunteering for Peeta so he could have been the one in the arena with her. The Capitol again for ensuring that he couldn't have volunteered because he had to keep both their families from starving. The Capitol for _everything_.

It slowly dawns on him that Katniss is going to be on cameras the rest of her life as a mentor to future tributes, and the Capitol isn't going to let her story stray from what was presented on the broadcast tonight. If it turns out she was in love with someone else this whole time, it would undermine the two-person 'love story' victory. And that's putting aside that he doesn't have anything other than his own delusions to validate the possibility that Katniss thinks of him as anything other than a dear friend.

Gale grabs his coat and leaves the house, intent on getting out of the district. The fence is still electrified thanks to the need to broadcast and undoubtedly recap that obnoxious proposal over and over again, so he paces impatiently like the caged animal the Capitol considers him. The second the electric buzz stops, Gale slides under the fence and heads into the darkest part of the forest, consciously avoiding The Rock and instead hiking up one of the nearest ridges.

It's dangerous for him to be this far out by himself but he doesn't care, he just grabs his bow and arrows from their hiding place and dares any predator to approach him tonight. He scales 'the Haystack,' the rocky upper part of the ridge, focusing in the dim moonlight on the best handholds and fissures he can use to pull himself up. The rock is as cold and lifeless as he feels, and when he lies back on it to stare skyward with absolutely nothing in his peripheral vision, he can almost imagine the coldness is coming from his own bones.

#

The next day is Sunday and Gale mechanically takes Rory hunting with him. Rory wisely does not ask about Katniss and doesn't say anything when Gale goes to great lengths to describe hunting techniques as totally separate from Katniss. (_"Some people like to climb trees to retrieve the eggs and you might be interested in that too since you're still pretty small, but I like to shake them out and catch them without letting the shells break. It's all in your technique. Some people don't realize that not everyone is tiny."_)

Gale doesn't want to deal with the gossip and fallout surely waiting for him at the Hob – no matter how well-intentioned – and sends Rory on his own to trade. Gale wanders to the graveyard shed instead to see how much progress Madge has made in moving the Parcel Day supplies.

Quite a bit, actually. He can see where she dug a second hole on the opposite side of the shed and tried to cover it up with a wheelbarrow. A casual observer probably wouldn't notice the disturbed earth, but to Gale's eyes it looks a little too carefully smoothed. He fixes it and then pulls a shovel from a pile and starts working on another hole, so it will at least be ready for whenever she can bring more goods. It feels good to dig and focus on where to aim the shovel, where to deposit the dirt.

When he's exhausted the digging-related tasks, he walks around the outside of the shed collecting wood he can start fashioning into spears and arrows, like he'd started to do back in the fall. He doesn't care that wood weapons are almost too pitiful to waste time on; wasting time is essentially his goal. Plus, using a knife and making sharp points are surprisingly satisfying ways to avoid thinking about anything other than how much he hates the Capitol.

Eventually he hears the door creaking, and a second later Madge's face appears, melting into relief when she sees it's him. "I was worried someone else had discovered this place…" she says shakily.

"Just me. Disaster averted for now." He turns all the way and sees that she's carrying her basket filled with evergreen branches. "Here, I'll put those away."

She hands over the basket and starts stretching her arms, eyeing him carefully. He's sick of being treated like he's a delicate flower (or a loaded weapon, depending on who you ask) so he ignores her questioning expression and inspects the basket's contents: below the boughs are several cans, boxes of rice, and vacuum-sealed packages of dried meat.

"Good job," he says, nodding to the shed. "You've been busy." He finishes transferring the goods into the crate and pats the dirt down. "What next?" Even he can hear that his tone is falsely enthusiastic.

"I'll keep sneaking things from the leftover Parcel Day supply. But I think there might be some opportunities at the Harvest Festival."

Harvest Festival. Also known this year as the Big Finale to the Katniss and Peeta Victory Tour Engagement Extravaganza. It sounds like Gale's definition of hell. "Like what?"

"Well, first there's the dinner at my house tonight when the train gets in," Madge says, leaning against the wall and watching him.

"You think you'll be able to do something at the dinner?"

Madge frowns. "No, I was wondering if you were coming."

"Why on _earth_ would I go?" He drops any pretense of being anything other than exasperated.

"You're on the guest list. All of Katniss' 'cousins' are invited. I dropped the invitation off at your house this morning, but I guess you haven't been home yet."

Gale runs his hand through his hair. "I think I can safely say there's no way in hell I would attend that dinner. Katniss seems to be just fine managing without her cousins."

He feels raw and exposed as Madge studies him. Why isn't there more digging he could do? Madge surprises him by closing the distance between them and suddenly hugging him. He tenses at the contact at first and then relaxes and lets himself be comforted.

"I'm sorry," she whispers quietly. She's warm and soft in the cold shed, and he eventually puts his arms around her too because it feels too weird to just leave them hanging at his sides. She pats his back the same way his mother does to Posy when she hurts herself and won't stop crying, the same way Mrs. Everdeen did to Prim all during the Hunger Games. Gale thinks he must seem like a wounded animal in one of his traps, injured but not fatally… Just suffering.

Madge eventually steps back and cautiously asks, "Do you want to talk?"

Gale makes a noise in his throat that resembles "uh-uh" enough that he's satisfied it functions as a response. He does actually want to know if Katniss has said anything to Madge that might help make sense of any of this, but he can't make the words come out and he doesn't think there's any explanation Madge can offer that won't hurt just as much as not knowing. In what kind of messed up world should he have to ask other people for insights into Katniss?

"Do you just want to sit here for a little while?" Madge asks. "I don't really feel like going home yet, either. The event organizers from the Capitol have taken over our house again." Madge looks up at him and then pulls him next to her so they're both sitting with their backs against one of the walls. Gale can feel the coldness of the ground on his legs, even though these are his heaviest trousers. He _knows_ he could survive in the woods, even with cold like this. As long as he could have a fire and his hunting gear…

He stares blankly at the opposite wall and thinks back to when he and Katniss talked about running away the morning of the reaping. He still can't quite wrap his mind around the surreal sequence of events that led to Katniss almost dying in countless different horrible ways and now planning to marry the baker's son… Katniss who he'd wanted to kiss for months and months but didn't because he thought she wasn't ready and would freak out and never speak to him again – the same Katniss who now kisses Peeta on television on what seems like a daily basis and who doesn't truly talk to Gale anyway. How could she let herself get so swept up in whatever has happened?

Because she's no longer the same Katniss he knows. Someone else has moved into her body, pushing out the real Katniss and replacing her with this complacent version of herself who goes along with whatever the Capitol wants, including compromising one of her strongest held beliefs – that she would never get married. If anyone was going to change her mind on that particular issue, it should have been _him_, not the scumbags in the Capitol. He can speculate through all manner of explanations for her strange behavior, but the one thing he knows for sure is that she tried to pretend he never kissed her and she doesn't _tell him_ anything anymore. To add to the insult, he has to find out about her life from watching the broadcasts like a stranger.

He feels Madge shift slightly next to him, leaning over some papers she's been studying to get a closer look at them. Some sort of roughly sketched diagrams. When he looks at her for an explanation, she says that they're the logistics plans for the Harvest Festival. She saw a master map when she was snooping and hastily drew her own replication of it.

"They're going to be storing crates of food at the Justice Building and my house, and doing most of the cooking in the community center and at my house. I think we could find a weak point in the supply chain to take advantage of the chaos and get some of the excess. Because obviously there _will_ be excess, and I don't want them burning the leftovers like last time."

He's grateful to have something else to think about other than his own mess of a life and pulls the diagram closer so he can look at it. "I can't picture any scenario chaotic enough where we could just walk off with crates unnoticed."

"I was thinking more that we could hide some things for now – maybe in the basement of the community center or in my house – and then later move them here in smaller batches the way I've been doing with the Parcel Day leftovers. The cellar in my house might be safe, and no one goes into my room."

"Madge, if they find stolen goods in your room…"

She grimaces. "Yeah. Maybe I could cry and act confused?" She smiles weakly. "Pretend I have some sort of hoarding disorder?"

"What should I do?" He's desperate for a task, some concrete action he can take to help take down the Capitol.

"They're going to be hiring locals to help move things. I could make sure you get hired and then you could help divert some of the larger items without attracting much attention. If anyone hassles you, you can always claim confusion. They think we're all idiots anyway."

It sounds like a decent enough plan, and he desperately needs to do something. If he doesn't, he knows he'll just end up brooding in the forest. Like he'll probably do tonight when the rest of his family goes to the dinner at Madge's house.

"I'm in," he says. "Where are you going to be?"

"I'm always kind of floating around," Madge says. "People are used to seeing me everywhere in the Justice Building and my house… I help however I can." She smiles. "They just don't know who I'm helping anymore."

Gale watches her return to studying the schematics, concentrating and looking at another handwritten page with some kind of schedule on it, and he starts to feel calmer than he's felt all evening. They're doing the right thing. As satisfying as it would be to firebomb the entire Capitol and end its oppression in one swoop, given his current lack of weapons of mass destruction it's good at least knowing they're doing what they can to lessen District 12's dependence and build up supplies for when the time is right. The idea of stealing back from the Capitol is also appealing, even if it's just a fraction of what they've taken from him over the years.

Madge must feel him looking at her because she glances up briefly and smiles automatically, and then returns to examining her papers. He still can't get over how someone so unassuming can do so much to steadily and stealthily advance the rebellion...

Not that there's anything even approaching an organized 'rebellion' yet, but surely this is how these things start… A few people decide they've had enough and start doing something about it, bringing others in. Gale feels like he hates the Capitol enough to fuel multiple rebellions, and Madge's access to the inner workings of District 12 is unparalleled. Maybe they really are the beginning of a District 12 rebellion, the two of them sitting here in this cold shed, hiding food stores and plotting how to get more. At the same time, he thinks it's a sorry state of affairs that they – essentially a couple of kids – are the rebel organizers of District 12. Unless there are other people similarly laying low… If so, they're laying pretty damn low.

#

Early the next morning, Madge easily gets Gale hired onto one of the work crews with a few whispered words to the woman assigning tasks. His group is supposed to move food crates from the flatbed to the staging tent in the town square, and from there he makes sure he's part of the sub-group carrying food to the community center. He spots Madge hovering nearby, tracking his progress, and once she sees where he's walking she scurries ahead.

The community center, normally used for plays, classes, meetings and other activities Gale generally avoids, has been transformed into a massive meal production staging area. A series of makeshift cooking stations have been set up in the main room, with half-opened crates of food strewn haphazardly everywhere and frazzled people rushing around. The chaos is perfect — nobody thinks twice when he follows Madge into one of the classrooms being used for extra storage. A harried woman rushes out as they enter and Madge swiftly shuts the door.

"There's a dumbwaiter over there," she says, still leaning against the door and pointing across the room to a small door.

"A what?"

"A mini-elevator. They use this room for set construction for the plays and have to transport things up from the basement… Put the crate in that little door and press the button; I'll meet it downstairs."

Gale does what she says, and as soon as he's pressed the button the he presumes will send the crate to the basement, Madge opens the door again and disappears. He doesn't see her anywhere so he returns to the staging tent and retrieves another crate for the community center. As he enters the building, he spots Madge loitering on the stairs that lead to the basement. She retreats downstairs as soon as she's sure he's seen her so he returns to the room with the mini-elevator, waits until he has the room to himself, locks the door, and quickly sends the crate downward.

Someone is tugging at the handle when he opens the door again. "Sorry," he says. "I must have accidentally hit the wrong button. My hands were full."

The man, from the Capitol judging by his accent, gives him a dirty look. "You should be more careful. We're already behind schedule."

Gale ignores the man and returns to the staging area tent, where the person in charge directs him and some others to take a crate of supplies to the mayor's house. He glances back toward the community center and doesn't see Madge, but hopes she'll figure out he was sent elsewhere and proceeds to 'mistakenly' pick up one of the food crates to take to her house. He and the others pile the crates in the Undersees' living room, and before he leaves to collect another, sure enough, Madge appears in the doorway. He catches her eye and gently kicks the crate he just set down so she knows which one to guard or pilfer from. He isn't exactly sure what their plan is at this point, but he trusts she'll figure something out.

He's able to bring several more large food crates into the mayor's house before his sub-group is reassigned to help set up tables and chairs in the square. Once that's over, it's mid-morning and his crew is paid and dismissed. He enjoys the poetic justice that they're paying him to steal from them.

He walks back into Madge's house without knocking – there are so many people coming and going, it's practically part of the town square. Lulu looks like she's doing ten things at once, and aides from the Capitol are rushing around. The living room, where most of the crates are located, reminds him of an ant hill it's so busy. About half the crates are open, with various staff people digging through them.

Madge herself is pawing through a crate on the far end of the room. When she sees Gale, she rises and asks loudly if he can carry it to the second floor. "This one contains items my father needs in his study upstairs." He picks it up nervously, but everybody is so concerned with their own tasks they don't pay the slightest attention.

On the second floor they take the crate to Madge's bedroom, which surprises Gale with its simplicity. He'd have expected a lot of frills and pink lacy nonsense, but she seems to have more basic tastes. Still, the contrast to his own house is striking; her bed looks like a big fluffy blue cloud rather than the thin, narrow mattresses he's used to. He gets distracted imagining what she looks like when she's sleeping, and only snaps out of it when Madge nudges him. They don't speak because of the surveillance, just quickly hide the cans and packages in Madge's closet behind a row of dresses.

Next they sneak a crate into the Undersees' basement, putting the food in a cellar that's usually covered by plastic sheeting and other stored items. They alternate between Madge's room and the basement, blending the empty crates into the growing pile of other empties in the living room.

Finally, they empty the last crate in Madge's closet and stare at one another incredulously at their accomplishment. As long as they can get this last empty crate out of Madge's bedroom without being detected, they'll have gotten away with stealing and concealing crates and crates worth of food from the Capitol. Gale feels more hopeful than he has in he can't even estimate how long…

Madge walks to the door to open it and he stands right behind her, holding the empty crate with one hand. Without thinking, he smoothes down the parts of her hair that got mussed when she was rummaging around in her closet. She smiles gratefully and pats her head herself to make sure nothing is awry and then opens the door and peers into the hallway.

Gale hears another door open nearby, and suddenly Madge gestures behind her back for him to leave the crate.

"Ah, there you are." Gale hears a man's voice speaking in their direction. "I've been wondering where the prettiest First Daughter in District 12 had disappeared to." Gale hastily throws the closest piece of fabric (some silky thing hanging on the back of her door — a robe?) over the crate and then shoves it with his foot so it's mostly under her desk.

Madge is in the hallway already, standing with her arms crossed and looking hostilely at a man who Gale swears is leering at her. "Do you need something, Simon?"

_Simon…_ The name is familiar… Gale thinks that might have been the name of the Capitol tool who showed Madge how to modify the population database. Simon comes into view and spots Gale, who smoothly closes the door to Madge's room – hopefully in a non-suspicious way – and joins them in the hallway.

Simon smirks and says, "Well, well! What a model hostess you are, Madge, entertaining your guests so personally. Isn't this your bedroom? No wonder I couldn't find you."

"Watch what – " Gale starts to say, but Madge cuts him off.

"What are you doing, Simon? Is my father in his study?"

"No, it looks like I just missed him," Simon says, not phased at apparently being caught exiting Mayor Undersee's empty study. "Pity. He'd probably be less impressed than I am with your hospitality, wouldn't you say?"

"He probably wouldn't be so crazy about you skulking around his study either," Gale snaps before Madge can stop him.

Simon smiles and looks like he's endlessly entertained by Gale. "So suspicious! Madge knows I tease, don't you?" He winks at Madge and Gale decides the guy would look much better crumpled and broken at the bottom of the stairs, preferably after having been pushed by Gale. "But I don't want to keep you two from the Harvest Festival! Why don't we all go enjoy ourselves?" Simon speaks pleasantly, as though he hadn't just crudely made insinuations about Madge and been caught possibly snooping in the mayor's study. It pains Gale to think that the guy can get away with all of that and more just because he's part of the power structure in the Capitol. _Disgusting._

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Gale," Simon adds, before walking down the stairs ahead of Madge and Gale. "I've heard so much of you."

Gale freezes, acutely aware of never having given his name to this Simon creep. Which means he must be one of the people who listens to the surveillance tapes – he was practically flaunting it with his reference to hearing 'of' Gale. Madge apparently realizes it too and meets Gale's angry gaze with a horrified expression. They wait until Simon descends and then retreat to the backyard, where at least if they speak quietly it's unlikely they'll be recorded.

"He works for Secretary Redwell," Madge whispers. "Maybe he gets the surveillance memos."

"Or the recordings themselves." Gale feels like his skin is crawling. "I can't believe you thought he might be on our side," he accuses.

Madge frowns thoughtfully. "He's a pain, but I still think that might be true."

"Madge. Please." Gale can't believe she's entertaining this idea.

"Last night at the dinner he warned me they're going to be auditing the population database." She explains that the conversation was brief and very cryptic, probably necessarily so because of the surveillance and because Secretary Redwell kept interrupting, but that she got the sense he was signaling to her that he knew she'd been adjusting the database numbers upward and was trying to keep her from getting caught. "Also, he could have turned me in months ago but hasn't."

"Great, let's give him a medal." Gale scowls back at her house; he doesn't want Madge to have to keep living under these conditions. And that creep is no doubt staying in one of the guest bedrooms… "I hope you have a good lock on your bedroom door."

"I do, but remember – everything's all safely hidden in my closet," Madge says distractedly. She checks her watch and then looks up at him. "We still have plenty of time before the rally starts. I thought about this last night and wasn't sure... But, this went so well - Gale, we can do more."

She describes how the Capitol visitors always travel with extra medical supplies since District 12 has virtually nothing useful. "They store the medicine in the Justice Building while they're here – I know where they're keeping the boxes. They'll take them away when they leave, but as long as there are no emergencies, nobody will look inside them or notice if we've taken some things. They don't even keep track of what they have – anyone traveling with the group can just help themselves. We have a very small window of opportunity. Just think of how useful medicine could be if there are injuries during fighting…"

Gale realizes how serious she is; she's already thinking about the likelihood of injuries. He knows from Mrs. Everdeen that any medical supplies would be an improvement. But the idea sounds a little crazy.

They quietly debate the pros and cons of stealing some of the medicine from the Justice Building and whether Simon suspects what they were really doing. Madge thinks he was deliberately indicating to them he knew they knew about the surveillance, which would explain why he was being a jerk – he was performing. Gale voices his doubts the guy needs any excuse to be a jerk and was probably just taunting them. But he finally lets himself be persuaded when he considers that the medical supplies could contain something he could use to immobilize the Peacekeepers – knock them out or make them sick. They also both agree that the opportunity is too important to pass up, and decide to stow whatever they can in their coat pockets and Madge's largest purse. If conditions seem right, they can make a second trip.

The Justice Building guards wave them through security with barely a second glance. "We're looking for my father," Madge starts to say, but they just gesture for her and Gale to move along.

Gale feels uneasy in the cold, sterile building, which he only associates with anguish, and keeps his head down as he follows Madge through the stairwells and hallways to a basement room filled with boxes. He can easily make out the new additions to the room: a set of non-dusty boxes marked with the medical center symbol.

They each select a box and start pulling out vials periodically to store in their coat pockets, working quietly and efficiently in the dark to avoid drawing any attention to the room and to avoid being recorded by any bugs. Gale pays special attention to any bottles whose labels seem like candidates for debilitating the Peacekeepers.

As he works, he remembers back when he thought Madge would never put her words into actions and has to shake his head in disbelief about how wrong he'd turned out to be: Madge does not mess around. Each time she gets away with something it seems to give her an extra shot of boldness, which in turn infects him – he probably wouldn't have suggested breaking into the Justice Building on his own. Not just because he wouldn't have known medicine was in here, unguarded and available for the taking, but because it just seems so risky. But Madge seems to know what she's doing…

He's musing about just how far she might go when it comes time to fight and organize other people into risking their lives when he notices the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside.

Someone is walking toward their storage room.

* * *

**A/N:** I debated splitting this into two chapters, but thought the Gale angst fest needed to be counterbalanced with some forward plot action. Plus the angst is sort of a motivator for the action... Hope it worked out OK. Thanks to everyone following along and reviewing!


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

Madge doesn't seem to have noticed the footsteps in the hallway yet, so Gale quickly closes his box and reaches over to shut the lid of hers. He scans the room for a place where they can hide, but there aren't even any aisles or spaces between the boxes. Now voices start to accompany the footsteps and in his peripheral vision he sees Madge freeze in alarm. They stare at one another and to their mutual horror realize the people have stopped and are standing outside the door to their storage room.

One of the voices says, "There's probably some ointment that would clear that right up…" which Gale interprets as _we're entering this room right now_.

He pulls Madge closer to him and hurriedly messes up her hair and untucks her shirt. "Here, pretend…" She catches on quickly and does the same to him and by the time the door opens, he's kissing her and hoping desperately they look like a couple who snuck away for some alone time in a secluded basement. Madge seems too shocked to be convincing, but since her back is to the door and they pull apart when the light is flipped on, he doubts the visitors can tell.

A burly man in a pale grey uniform growls at them. "What are you doing in here?"

"Pretty obvious, isn't it?" His companion, a smaller man in a matching uniform, snickers. Gale doesn't recognize either of them and assumes they're from the Capitol, especially since they were about to help themselves to the medical supplies. Their uniforms are identical to standard Peacekeeper issue except for the color and a small crest he doesn't recognize on the shoulder.

The first man looks at Gale and Madge suspiciously as they disentangle themselves and straighten their clothes. Gale prays none of the pill bottles make any noise as they move and that if these guys open the boxes it's not completely obvious that some of the contents are missing. He'd tried to be strategic with his selections and hopes Madge was as well…

"In the Justice Building?" The first guard sounds like it's an absurd destination for a romantic interlude. He narrows his eyes at Gale. "How did you kids even get in here?"

"Front door," Gale says levelly.

The man shakes his head, not buying it. "Let's see your badges."

Gale doesn't know anything about the normal security procedures and hopes Madge can explain. Unfortunately, she looks totally flustered. He worries she's going to do that thing where she can't breathe, but she manages to choke out, "We don't have badges… Look, we'll just leave now."

"Something's not right. Level 2 holiday, every person gaining admittance is to have a security badge." The first guard signals to his partner, and they both grab Gale and Madge by their arms and pull them out of the room.

Gale glances backward to verify that none of the bottles fell to the floor, which would tip the guards off about their true activities, but luckily nothing is out of place. Madge still seems too shocked to process what's happening, but when she notices him looking at her expectantly she snaps into action.

"Wait! I'll explain."

"That's right you'll explain, missy, to the head of security: how you got into the most secure building in the district without a badge on a level 2 holiday."

"They let me in. They always do." The guard pulling her along shakes his head disbelievingly, so she blurts, "I'm the mayor's daughter. All the regular guards know me. And they know that I'm perfectly trustworthy."

"Oh, so they know you sneak in with your boyfriend here to do who knows what in the storage rooms?" The men haven't even slowed down. "Is that one of the privileges that comes with being related to the mayor? Do you think he'll like hearing how you're using these privileges?"

"Please don't contact my father!" Madge starts to sound shrill. "Please just let us go." Gale can't tell if she's acting or truly worried about her father; either way it helps their story.

"Against protocol, little lady," the smaller guard says, but Gale detects a hint of sympathy in his tone and wonders if they can use that to their advantage.

"Sir," he says in what he hopes is a reasonable tone, "we're not security threats. Her parents don't approve of our relationship and we just came inside to talk in private. To break up…" He directs this last comment to Madge, hoping she'll take over.

She does. "Please, my father will be so upset with me if he finds out. We just needed to say good-bye in peace, which we can't do anywhere else because of having… a secret relationship. Please, think back to what it was like to be young and in love, and think how awful it would be to not be able to see that person…"

The smaller guard pauses and looks to the burly guard to gauge if he's similarly sympathetic, but Burly presses onward. Since it seems inevitable that they'll be taken to the head guard, neither of them says anything else and soon they're in the security office on the main level, plunked into two chairs in a room while the guards explain the situation to the lead officer elsewhere.

If the Capitol goons find out they've stolen so much as a carrot they'll probably be executed; the scale of their crime is probably beyond anyone's imagination. With time to consider this as they wait, Gale starts to worry about what they could do to his family. He'd been so furious about Katniss and had gotten so caught up in wanting to do _something_ to undermine the Capitol, and the plan had seemed fairly sound until they broke into that storage area… He prays that whatever punishment awaits is limited to him alone.

Gale glances at Madge's bag to make sure no bottles are showing. She notices him looking and gently pushes it farther under her chair with her foot, but otherwise avoids eye contact. He wonders if she's mad he kissed her — but she had clearly gone along with it, and if she's mad, he'd like to know what other brilliant plan she had in mind to avoid getting caught with no place to hide. At least his strategy matched up with the surveillance information and people's assumptions about them… But, who is he kidding, he should have thought to scope out hiding places or exit options in that room — he's the experienced rule-breaker between the two of them.

"Hey," he whispers under his breath. "Sorry… for back there."

She finally looks at him, first confused and then registering what he's referring to, and shakes her head sharply to dismiss his concerns. "I'm the one who should be sorry…" she says so quietly he has to strain to hear. She looks miserable and purses her lips, staring intently at her tightly clasped hands in her lap.

He frowns at her — she's blaming herself? They both took this risk. "Don't," he orders, a little too loudly, so he clears his throat as a cover. He tries to get her attention again, but Madge shifts away from him, leaving Gale to worry about her and to contemplate all the various punishments they could be subjected to.

After ten or fifteen excruciating minutes of waiting in silence, Mayor Undersee enters the room alone.

"Madge?" The mayor looks at his daughter, betrayal and disapproval heavy in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Dad," she says, eyes focused on the floor.

Gale thinks she sounds authentically contrite and probably isn't acting – he doubts she has much history disappointing her parents or getting into trouble. Then he realizes the room is silent because the mayor is studying him. Gale matches the mayor's angry gaze for a few seconds, hating him and wondering how a man this useless could have produced someone like Madge. But then Gale looks down at the floor too, consciously emulating the submissive move he's seen among wild animals, aware that the best thing he has going for him will be the mayor's desire to keep this incident hushed up to protect Madge's reputation.

"You're going home to get dressed for the Harvest Festival," Mayor Undersee tells Madge, "and later we'll have a longer talk. This," he gestures generally between Madge and Gale, "obviously ends now for good." He gives Gale a hard look. "I know you won't do anything that might jeopardize your family on, what is it?" He holds up a piece of paper and reads from it. "Block 26, House 3."

Gale feels his stomach clench as an image of his house pops into his head, with all his family members peering cautiously out the front door. But the anxiety melts into relief that it's only a threat at this point. And Mayor Undersee isn't exactly known for his strict enforcement policies… Gale nods curtly.

"Yes, sir. Understood."

He can see out of the corner of his eyes that Madge is horrified and not hiding it. _Good_. She needs to take her blinders off about how the world really operates, and it wouldn't hurt her father, either, to see his daughter's disgust.

The mayor gestures for Madge and Gale to leave, trailing behind them. Gale feels like they're prisoners being released from jail the way the security guards are watching at them. Word must travel quickly. Madge is bright red, and Gale can't tell if it's from embarrassment or anger. He's grateful his face doesn't change colors as often as hers does.

When they reach one of the side exits, the mayor shifts his attention to consult with the guard stationed at the door, gesturing generally in their direction as he speaks. Gale catches Madge's eye and smiles slyly at her. They stole food and medical supplies from the Capitol from right under the Capitol's nose, got caught, and _still_ got away with it. As long as no one figures out that they took anything and they can get the stuff to the cemetery shed, they'll have succeeded. Madge looks surprised to see Gale smiling and then she slowly grins back until her father finishes talking to the guard.

Gale wonders if they should make a big deal out of saying goodbye – if they don't act like this is their final parting, her father might see through the ruse. But too much of a scene could be considered a deliberate provocation. Settling on pained obedience, Gale says very seriously, "Good-bye, Madge." He throws in a soulful stare, which Madge convincingly returns, and then he walks over to the door.

He's barely opened it a few inches before Madge slams into him and hugs him fiercely. He squeezes her back and whispers "Nice work" into her ear before leaving. Hopefully her parents aren't too hard on her…

#

The walk back home with her father is tense, to say the least. Madge is so outraged that he made even a veiled threat against Gale's family she doesn't even have any leftover capacity to feel all the regret, embarrassment and debilitating fear she'd been drowning in before.

"I can't believe you would threaten-"

"_I said we'd discuss this later._" Her father's tone leaves no room for debate, but what actually stops Madge from speaking again is how many Capitol officials and district residents are within hearing distance on their walk between the Justice Building and home. Maybe he wants to talk to her in a more secure environment, away from any hostile ears and the ubiquitous surveillance.

Her father holds the front door open and Madge stalks through it without looking at him, straight up to her room where, as directed, she'll wear whatever dress her mother picked out for her to impress all the Capitol visitors as the obedient and proper First Daughter of District 12. She can't find the dress at first, though, and realizes it had been hanging on the back of her door and Gale had thrown it over the last empty crate. The dress is a little wrinkled, but Madge considers each flaw a badge of their success. Her long cloak will cover most of the dress when she's outside anyway. She hides the empty crate in her closet, gets dressed, and walks downstairs.

Her mother is waiting for her in the living room, and judging by her expression it's clear she's been briefed on her daughter's shocking behavior.

"Are we talking right now?" Madge asks warily.

"Are you going to behave out there?"

"Apparently I have no choice or Daddy will kill his family."

Mrs. Undersee flinches and shuts her eyes as though physically pained. "Madge, don't say things like that."

"Why not? Dad basically just said that a few minutes ago. Didn't he mention it?"

Madge's mother keeps her eyes closed and begins to pinch her forehead. Madge has zero sympathy over her mother's oncoming headache at the moment – how can her mother be all right with threats against innocent families? And her mother's always made clear how much she disapproves of Gale so she's probably totally supportive of the threat. When Mrs. Undersee waves her daughter away without looking up, Madge obliges by slamming the front door as she exits.

On the town square, Madge throws herself into one of the chairs designated for her family during the rally, crosses her arms, and scans the square, determined to be as hostile and sullen as possible. She doesn't want to explain her strange mood to anyone, and is finding anger to be an easier emotion to handle than everything that had overwhelmed her while she and Gale sat in that security office. But she finds herself starting to smile at how many district residents are devouring the food provided by the Capitol, and that thanks to how many crates she and Gale hid, there's more where that came from. Medicine, too!

And they got away with it. Mostly. Actually, if the worst that comes of this is that she gets a lecture or punishment from her parents, that's not bad at all. She exhales and tries to convince herself that her father had only been threatening the Hawthornes with no intention of following through. Maybe he was just trying to scare Gale or performing for the surveillance in the Justice Building. Although, she's still horrified to have heard such ugly words coming from her own father.

Most of her hostility wanes by the time the rally speeches conclude. She sees Katniss run over to Gale's family, no doubt asking where Gale is because she looks disappointed at their response. Katniss trudges back to Peeta, who puts his arm around her and whispers something that makes her smile. They start playing a game at their table that involves flicking crumbs at one another and generally seem to be contentedly occupying their own little world. Madge feels a flare of sympathy for Gale at having lost Katniss, but it's crowded out by a confusing mixture of guilt and exhilaration at the thought of kissing him in that storage room. Even if it was fake. And even if she had no idea what she was doing because she's never kissed anyone before and was so terrified at getting caught that she can barely remember those few seconds. Which all means he undoubtedly thinks she's a horrible kisser… _And here comes the embarrassment again…_

She stands up abruptly in an attempt to shake those thoughts off. Her father is still tied up in a conversation with visitors from the Capitol and her mom only lasted for the first hour of the rally, so Madge decides to excuse herself and return home.

Unfortunately, an unwelcome, familiar face is approaching. Simon. She feels her face twist into a vicious expression as she remembers that he basically admitted he knew about or was involved with the surveillance of her home, and was probably spying on her father.

Simon drops into the seat next to her unceremoniously, stretches out his legs in front of him, and scans the square lazily. "Where's your buddy?"

Madge is torn between wanting to stalk away in a fury and wanting to find out exactly what Simon knows. The possibility of information wins out (it always does with her, she has to admit) so she retakes her seat and gets straight to the point.

"What were you doing in my father's study?"

"My job." His tone is unapologetic and he seems more interested in looking around the square than elaborating.

She wonders how much of his job consists of spying on her family. And why he's telling her… "Why did you want us to know that you're behind the surveillance?"

That gets his attention; he eyes her appraisingly. "To confirm that you're not total idiots. Because, frankly, sometimes I wonder. Your father tell you about it?"

"_No_." To Madge's continuing resentment. "I figured it out on my own."

"Huh. Guess he's more clueless when it comes to you than I thought. How long ago?"

"Before the Victory Tour." She gets a flashback to how terrified she'd been on that night when she first discovered the memos summarizing the surveillance.

"Not bad, although I hoped for sooner."

Madge knows she shouldn't feel betrayed, but she does. "Oh, you _hoped_? Before I said anything… that could be misinterpreted?"

"Oh, you and your little boyfriend said _plenty_," Simon says smugly. "You're welcome, by the way."

"For what?"

"For protecting you. For editing the reports to minimize damage and including details that might help you figure it out. What tipped you off?"

It was bad enough when 'they' were nameless, faceless zombies listening to her family. For it to be someone she's actually met and spoken to – and that he was the one writing the official memos, as well… It's somehow even creepier now. She thinks about her father's slip-up reference to the song she'd composed in honor of her grandmother, but she's decidedly uninterested in reminiscing with Simon about Good Times Spying On the Undersees and ignores his question about what tipped her off.

"But _why_ protect us?"

"I don't like to see people executed for no reason," he says sharply. "Not on my watch. Obviously you two weren't going to accomplish anything other than getting caught, which could only end badly for you and your families, and if I could spare that many people by editing a few sentences here and there, it was literally the least I could do."

Madge eyes him skeptically. Besides being offended that he considers their efforts so trivial – although hopefully he doesn't know about their most recent activities – Simon's explanation sounds… reasonable. For a normal person, though, not a soulless viper from Secretary Redwell's office.

"But we barely ever talked in my house, and I didn't think we said anything _too_ alarming…"

"You didn't," he acknowledges, "but someone listening carefully could hear enough to be suspicious and that's all it takes. Lucky for you the monitoring is tedious — especially your family, you wouldn't believe what happens in some of the Capitol households — and gets delegated to lower level people like me. And even more fortunately, you two either wised up or learned to be discreet after patching up your… differences." He smirks at her and then looks away again. "And I really don't want to know any more."

Madge is happy to remain silent, but wishes there was a way to shake off the feeling of invasion, knowing he's been listening to every word her family says and is clearly referencing that stupid fight she had with Gale months ago. It's unnerving to think that Simon probably knows more about her life than nearly anyone…

"Now, Madge, what I really wanted to talk to you about is that training program-"

"You can't be serious-"

He talks over her. "To set you straight about it. Secretary Redwell is the one who wants you to enroll. Can you think why?"

"She cares deeply about my career development?" Madge asks sarcastically.

Simon raises his eyebrows. "She cares deeply about something." He looks over at the elevated stage where Madge's father is now speaking to Peeta's parents. "You, my dear, are leverage. Or, will be if you agree to move to the Capitol and enroll in the program."

It takes Madge a moment to digest the meaning of what Simon just said: the Capitol wants to use her to control her father. Like she's a privilege that could be taken away from a naughty child…

But it doesn't even make sense – her father already does everything he's told, which Madge points out to Simon.

"The stakes are rising, and additional leverage has been deemed necessary by higher authorities than me. My task is to recruit you, but I think you can see I'm not exactly giving you the hard sell."

"Why not?"

Simon stares at the back of the chair in front of him. "There's a line. I'm no expert on where it's located, but I do know that this is beyond it." He looks over at Madge. "And because I wish someone had looked out for me."

For a moment he seems younger, and almost… vulnerable. But then she remembers he's a snake and she refuses to feel sympathy for even snakes who claim to be guardian angels.

"So when I'm on the record," he continues, "I'll keep trying to recruit you. But you should know what it really means."

Madge rubs her face with her hands, weary of all the spying and manipulation. Her father's lack of interest in the training program, despite Secretary Redwell's insistence, starts to make sense… She feels a stab of longing to see Gale, who doesn't operate in grey areas. In fact, Gale would probably already have punched Simon by now, and such definite views on right and wrong seem comforting.

She sighs tensely. "I still don't understand why you're telling me all this. Are you a rebel or something, Simon?"

He laughs hollowly. "Far, far from it." Then he sits up a little straighter and says under his breath, "Look sharp."

Secretary Redwell is walking toward them, flashing her thousand-watt fake smile. Simon smoothly deflects the Secretary's inquiries about Madge's continued indecision about enrolling in the training program and shifts the conversation to some gossip about the latest cosmetic surgery some official is rumored to have had.

#

Amazingly, Madge is able to put off the lecture from her parents until the following afternoon. Too many lingering visitors to entertain. Madge had spent the night and morning alternating between anxiousness that someone noticed how many bottles were missing from the medical boxes and anger over her father's threat to the Hawthornes. She tried to get into her father's study to see if there was any news about the other districts or any indications that the Capitol had noticed the missing crates or medicine, but it was locked. Madge hoped that meant her father knew Simon had been snooping around, although it was unfortunate for her own purposes.

After lunch, Lulu summons her to the parlor, where her parents are waiting. They're going to have this talk in the parlor? Madge finds herself getting even angrier that her parents clearly intend to continue to keep her in the dark about the surveillance. And were they ever planning on telling her the real story behind the training program?

Her parents sternly gesture for her to sit on the small couch. After a few tense moments, Mrs. Undersee speaks. "I thought we were clear that we didn't want you seeing him anymore, Madge."

"I think you may have _hinted_ your disapproval," Madge says in a neutral tone, as though they're debating whose turn it is to clear the table on one of the nights Lulu has off. Internally, she's relieved that the conversation appears to be focused on her supposed tawdry behavior rather than on more dangerous topics (although she doubts her parents would expose her in front of the surveillance if they knew something...).

"Well, then: you are not to see him anymore," her father says.

"How could you threaten _his family_?" Madge can't stop herself from asking. "A widow with three young children? Since when have you resorted to that sort of-"

Her father cuts her off. "Madge, you need to understand that your actions affect other people."

"I know they do!" She glares at her parents, though she's mostly angry at herself that she did endanger Gale and his entire family. Maybe her parents, as well. But there's a distinction her father's glossing over that she can't ignore. "Dad, you're talking about my actions triggering _you_ to independently and unjustifiably take totally separate actions that amount to nothing more than bullying innocent people just like-"

"Watch your tongue, young lady," her father says sternly.

Madge realizes she was about to say 'the Capitol' and is grudgingly grateful he stopped her from being openly treasonous within range of the detectors. But thinking of the surveillance conveniently reminds her that she can bolster her defense that she and Gale are only lovesick teenagers, not treasonous thieves.

"I know we could never have a future together," she says in what she hopes is a remorseful tone. "I know that and he knows that. We really were just trying to break up…"

Madge's mother makes a sound that's suspiciously similar to a snort, but then she exhales loudly. "Cliff, the real question is: what are we going to do with her? Will Dusty and Perri take her?"

"Wait. What?" Madge panics – are they really considering sending her to live with her aunt and uncle? She hasn't seen them in ages.

"They've offered before. Travel is so restricted lately, a pass might be difficult… But I could probably arrange for something within the next month."

"No!" Madge is worried now. "No, I want to stay here. With you."

"Madge, you'll have better opportunities with them," her father says.

She can't fathom leaving District 12 and strains for an alternate outcome. "Well, how about this… Simon Barker from Secretary Redwell's office has been telling me about that training program." Madge notices her parents stiffen and glance at each other, probably not wanting to actively discourage her within range of the surveillance. Which she plans to use to her advantage, still bitter about their not having told her about the surveillance and more determined than ever to fight the Capitol. "But I don't even know that I'd be interested in that type of career. What if I start working in Daddy's office part-time to see how I like the work? If I do, maybe it will make sense for me to join the program later."

She thinks it sounds like a reasonable proposal, and most importantly, will give her much better access to the district's records, especially if her father continues locking his study. Then she can just say she hates the work and doesn't want to join the program.

Madge's mother eyes her skeptically. "What about that boy? Is this a ploy to stay near him?"

"If it is, it won't work," Mayor Undersee answers. "I've instructed the security guards and the Peacekeepers that he is not to see Madge. He's been included in the security briefings."

"That's totally unnecessary," Madge says darkly.

"Well, it seems we need to be crystal clear with you lately," her father scolds. He takes a deep breath and studies the coffee table for several seconds while he thinks. "All right, Madge… maybe a structured internship of sorts will be good for you. It will give you something to do and let me keep my eye on you."

Madge limits her response to a nod, not wanting to let on how pleased she is that she not only got away with everything but also just got even better access to information. Her parents release her, and she immediately retreats to her room to work on arranging the stolen medicine for easy transport to the shed.

* * *

**A/N:** Lots of developments here! I feel bad for Madge that I made her first kiss be a plot device, but hopefully she didn't mind too much. I don't think she was making out with half the district on the slag heap during her teen years, unlike certain other characters… (LOL at the transparency of that detail in the book as SC broadcasting that Gale was getting tossed aside but to not feel too bad for him.) More about Simon and the Undersees to be revealed in the future…

Thank you for the reviews – they mean a lot to me and keep me encouraged. :) Happy New Year, everyone!


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

Gale anxiously checks the shed each night on his way home from work to see if Madge has been able to start transporting the goods, but there are no signs of her. He's already done all the prep work he can and recognizes that he shouldn't be going to the shed as often as he is or he might draw attention to it, but he's getting worried. And frustrated that he can't go to her house anymore. Maybe her parents aren't letting her out, or maybe she's just lying low to throw off any suspicion… He trusts her instincts, but he _needs to know_ what's happening.

On Saturday after his family goes to sleep, Gale makes another trip to the shed and is finally rewarded with the sight of a faint flickering light in the window. A hurried glance confirms that the occupant is indeed Madge, kneeling on the ground, placing things from a bag into a crate by candlelight. The _hunting-trip-with-dad-tomorrow-morning_ sense of anticipation he used to get as a kid swells in his chest as he nudges the door open.

Madge freezes when she hears the door squeak, stands unsteadily to swivel, and then there's a blur of blond hugging him tightly. "Are you and your family all right?"

"We're fine," he says, hugging her back and appreciating how cozy and secure she feels and how relieved he is to see her again. "What happened to you?"

He feels her exhale in relief, and then she looks up at him but doesn't fully let go as she starts talking, which is fine with Gale – together they're like an island of warmth in the cold shed. Madge hurriedly updates him that nobody has discovered any of the hidden goods at her house or at the community center, and that she brought as much as she could tonight.

"So they didn't suspect anything? They bought all that breaking up garbage?"

"I think so," she says, smiling as though she can't quite believe it. "The guards who caught us weren't actually supposed to be getting into the medical supplies – they're only 'Shadowers' which I guess means they're lower ranked – there was some controversy about them even being in the room. It's a great cover. We've become an incidental detail. Although hopefully those guards don't get in trouble because of us…"

Gale could care less if they do, but Madge has already moved on to say she thinks her father's threat to his family was more for show than anything else. "We need to be even more cautious now. You especially. My father warned the security guards at the Justice Building and the Peacekeepers about you. If they see us together they might arrest you."

Gale raises his eyebrows in amusement. "So getting caught kissing the mayor's daughter makes me Public Enemy Number One in District 12?"

"Yes," she says resignedly.

He finds himself laughing at the absurdity of it – if they only knew what he and Madge are really doing.

Madge looks confused at his laughter and grips his arms. "I'm serious, Gale."

"So am I. If a Peacekeeper walked into this shed right now, do you think he'd be more concerned at seeing us, or seeing our stash?"

"But how can we plan anything?"

"We can still meet here. If anyone finds this place and we're here, we're screwed anyway." He pulls himself away from her and walks to the bench along the wall. "We can leave notes in this tin," he says, holding up an old watering can. "Use a code."

Madge inspects the watering can and appears to approve of his plan. He's about to ask her how many more trips she thinks she'll have to make to transport everything when she abruptly announces, "Simon has been the one writing the surveillance memos."

Gale listens in horrified silence as she describes Simon's role in spying on the Undersees, and is even more disturbed that Madge is reporting these invasions so calmly.

"He claims he was editing the memos to protect us," she says. "Apparently because we're so pitifully delusional to think we could actually succeed at any sort of rebellion – he didn't see us as a threat and thought it would be too cruel for us to get caught for nothing." Gale is glad to hear some scorn creep into Madge's tone. "It's like he considers us his pet project. Maybe we're his 'good deed' to balance out whatever other awfulness he gets up to."

The word 'pet' makes Gale think about how Prim's hideous cat will play with the mice it catches before delivering the final death bite to the neck. He thinks he's starting to get the measure of this Simon jerk.

"Did he want anything from you in exchange?"

"No. But he also warned me they want me to join some training program in the Capitol so they can use me as leverage against my father." Madge's voice wavers slightly, her calm veneer starting to crack.

Gale isn't even sure what she's talking about might entail, but it can't be good and sounds like the kind of sick thing people in the Capitol would suggest. "You're not going, obviously?"

"Of course not."

He doesn't understand why the Capitol would possibly need 'leverage' against Mayor Undersee, who's already undeniably their obedient puppet, but as long as Madge isn't getting tricked into the program it sounds like a problem averted. Maybe Simon isn't _entirely_ evil for warning her…

Although a disturbing thought occurs to him. "So Simon didn't want anything other than to make sure you know we owe him? Meaning, he wants you to know _he_ has leverage over us."

"It works both ways," Madge says hesitantly. "He shouldn't be doing what he's doing or telling me about it…"

"Yeah, and guess who'd they believe between him and us?" Gale scowls at the floor, back to hating Simon despite whatever arguably redeeming qualities he may sporadically exhibit. Madge probably isn't used to having her credibility questioned, but no way would anyone with any authority take Gale's word over Simon's. And what might Simon want from them in the future when he's done playing with them? "I don't want us 'owing' him anything."

"Little late for that," Madge observes. "I think a little owing was the better outcome." Then she exhales shakily and turns to study the half-filled crate she'd been working on when Gale arrived. "Gale, do _you_ think we're delusional?"

"No," he says automatically. He doesn't let himself think that way. But… he can see why Simon would doubt them and that Madge really wants to know what he thinks. "Maybe we're… optimistic. But I can't go back to doing nothing." He's still got Rory to worry about for the upcoming reaping. And soon Vick and then Posy… Best not to even _start_ thinking about what the Capitol did to Katniss…

Madge watches him thoughtfully for a moment, but seems to be satisfied with his answer so they sit down next to the crate to strategize their next steps. She doesn't have much news about what's happening in other districts since her father started locking his study, but thinks she'll learn more when she starts working in his office part-time. As Madge talks, Simon's comments keep echoing in Gale's head and he starts to feel discouragement creep into his consciousness. He's fairly confident he could _start_ an uprising, but having it result in something other than everyone involved being squashed like insects is another story...

They decide to meet the following Saturday night, when hopefully Madge will have finished transporting everything and will know more about whether the time is getting closer for them to actually do more than just their preparation work. As they lock up the shed, Gale wonders if Katniss will try to find him in the forest tomorrow… She sure hasn't made any efforts to visit him at home since returning from the Victory Tour, despite being fully aware of his deliberate absence from the victory dinner and Harvest Festival. If she does show up, maybe she'll have useful news about the other districts, but honestly he has a hard time stomaching the idea of talking to the future Mrs. Peeta Mellark, the engagement makes him so sick. And who knows if she's still willing to sneak under the fence.

#

Madge spends the following morning in the basement of her house, rearranging the parcels in the cellar for easy transport to the shed. Her father had already left for his office by the time she woke up, which Madge interpreted as a sign that something has been happening in the other districts. She wonders if this is _it_, the optimal time for the districts to rise up. The thought makes her anxious because Twelve isn't even close to ready…

When she hears her father's voice, she ventures back upstairs to see if she can learn anything about events outside District 12. He's in the parlor with some Peacekeepers so she hides in the next room to eavesdrop.

"I understand your concerns," her father is saying, "but I know my district and increased enforcement will only _cause_ unrest. No viable threats exist; why provide motivation for people who are otherwise content to go about their lives as before?"

"The Secretary specifically ordered these squads to Twelve, Your Honor." A gruff voice Madge doesn't recognize speaks. "You'll have to take the issue up with her. In the meantime, I need to requisition the supplies on these lists from the merchants. We'll also need additional accommodations for the new squads. My lieutenant says the vacant house on Chestnut should serve our needs for now. Relocations will undoubtedly be necessary when the other squads arrive."

"And you don't think relocations won't cause discontent?"

"Won't matter at that point, will it?" Madge hears a low laugh that obviously belongs to the other man.

She doesn't hear anything else of interest in the parlor, and as soon as the Peacekeepers leave she hides some of the food from the cellar in a bag and sets off for the cemetery. A flood of white uniforms spill out from the Peacekeeper's Lodge, but thankfully nobody stops her for questioning or thinks to inspect her bag. One of the Peacekeepers watches her closely, but she relies on her standard approach for avoiding detection and walks purposefully past like she has every right in the world to be where she is. But she thinks she may need to come up with some good excuses or a new transportation strategy…

When she returns home, Madge finds her mother and Haymitch speaking quietly in the backyard, both bundled in heavy jackets. Madge feels a flare of resentment that her mother has obviously told Haymitch about the surveillance – so why can't she tell her own daughter? And what does her mother tell Haymitch that she doesn't want the Capitol to hear?

"Is everything OK, Mom?" Madge asks in unfriendly tone, looking at Haymitch disapprovingly.

"Of course," Mrs. Undersee says with false brightness. "Just visiting with Haymitch while he has a cigarette. You know how I feel about smoking indoors."

Haymitch holds a stub of a cigarette up to his mouth and takes a long drag. "I'm addicted," he says, watching Madge through narrowed eyes.

"There are some sandwiches on the counter, sweetie," Mrs. Undersee says, dismissing Madge and turning back to Haymitch.

Madge trudges inside, tossing her empty bag onto the table and helping herself to a sandwich, which she eats standing up while observing her mother and Haymitch through the window. _What do they talk about?_ There's no way she can eavesdrop, her mother never tells her anything, and Haymitch has made clear that he loathes her as a reminder of her aunt.

She slowly becomes aware of elevated voices outside the house, on the town square side, not the backyard side where her mother and Haymitch are. From her window-watching spot in the living room Madge can see a knot of white uniforms followed by nearly double the number of townspeople.

Something's happening. Something related to all these new Peacekeepers. _Didn't her father just warn these idiots that increased numbers of Peacekeepers would lead to problems like this?_ Not for the first time, she gets irritated on her father's behalf – he does what they want and even suggests the best way for them to do what they want, but he's still ignored. And they think they need leverage against him?

Madge can't make out what's happening, so she joins the crowd outside. She's too short to see past the wall of people, so she tugs on the sleeve of the woman next to her. "What's going on?"

"Arrested for poaching," the woman says with a grimace.

The words pierce her chest. It's Sunday, when Katniss and Gale hunt. They've both told her over and over again how safe it is, how the Peacekeepers don't care and are some of their best customers… But that was the normal Peacekeepers, not these new ones.

She pushes forward through the crowd, hoping it's not them, but there are still too many people blocking her view.

A booming, hostile voice cuts through the murmuring and jostling of the crowd. "You have been caught with property that belongs to the Capitol." Madge sees a white uniform stand on a stool and nail a turkey's corpse to a tall wooden post. "Do you confess to poaching on land belonging to the Capitol and therefore stealing from the Capitol?"

Madge jumps in an attempt to see over the obnoxiously tall man in front of her. _Please, please let it not be Katniss and Gale._

A space clears and she sees three Peacekeepers restraining him at the same time she hears Gale say loudly, "No."

She can't see Katniss, though – did Katniss escape before they were caught? She knows Gale would try to take all the blame for Katniss, but she knows with equal certainty that Katniss would never let him.

Pushing through the crowd more forcefully, Madge barely hears the Peacekeeper repeating the charges and misses what happens to force Gale to finally say "Yes" but she's willing to bet violence was involved. She can barely breathe, and is knocked over by other townspeople who are similarly jostling to see what's happening.

"You are hereby sentenced to whipping," the cruel voice booms.

Madge pulls herself upright and still can't see what's happening, but the lead Peacekeeper is huge and when he flicks the whip into the air to warm up his arm while the other Peacekeepers are swarming Gale, Madge sees how thick the whip is and hears its terrifying crack. _And that was in the air, not on Gale's skin…_

As the sound of the whip reverberates through the square, Madge distantly feels herself sway with nausea and grasps at the sleeve of the woman she's standing next to so she won't fall over.

"We have to… stop this…" Madge chokes, but the woman is ignoring her, focused on the clearing.

She realizes this woman can't do anything — where is her father? Even though he has no formal authority over the Peacekeepers, maybe he could influence this scenario somehow… Madge scans the square frantically for his tall frame but doesn't see him. What she does see is the white uniforms step away to reveal Gale tied to a post and the lead Peacekeeper lunging forward with all his weight as he hurls the whip at Gale's back.

There's a sickening slap and a corresponding gasp from the crowd and then the sound of someone shrieking. Madge doesn't even recognize she's the one screaming until she feels a hand clasped over her mouth a second later, silencing her, and someone lifting her and carrying her away.

The crowd clears an exit path for her abductor and as she tries to inhale she gets a lungful of the smell of tobacco… Her mother is clasping her arm and speaking in soothing tones and Madge suddenly realizes Haymitch is the one dragging her back to her house.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Haymitch growls, depositing her roughly on the couch in the living room. Madge jumps up and immediately tries to get out the door again, but he blocks it, shaking his head.

She runs to the kitchen door, but her mother's already blocking it. "Madge, you'll make it worse."

"They're going to torture him!" Turning from her mother, she picks up the kitchen phone and starts dialing her father's office phone number.

Her mother presses the button to disconnect the line. "You know he can't do anything."

"He could! This is _wrong_."

"Madge," her mother says gently, wincing slightly, "we can't do anything. I don't like it either."

"Of course you don't like it: you're a _human being_, unlike those… things out there! But you're letting it happen!"

"Just what do you think you're going to do to stop it, Little Miss Screaming Banshee?" Haymitch has appeared in the kitchen, angrily glaring at Madge. "Did you think about that?"

"There are at least 100 people standing in that square, probably more by now – they could all work together to stop it instead of _watching_!"

She sees Haymitch and her mother exchange an uneasy look and realizes that was a pretty incendiary comment to make for the Capitol's ears. _Which for all they know is another reason why her parents should have told her by now about the surveillance!_

While Haymitch is distracted looking at Mrs. Undersee, Madge darts to the front of the house again and is struggling with the lock by the time Haymitch catches up to her. He roughly picks her up again and carries her to her room. She can hear the vicious crack of the whip every few seconds and starts crying when she realizes he's going to lock her in. Haymitch leaves her in an unceremonious heap on her floor and holds the door closed until Madge hears her mother join him and turn the key in the lock. Her ears are filled with their low voices, the slap of the whip, and her own sobbing.

She crawls over to her bedroom window and has an unfortunately vivid view of the entire scene: Gale dangling from the post, bleeding and unconscious, possibly dead. A red-haired Peacekeeper also unconscious and possibly dead nearby. The crowd nearly twice the size it was before, with more people joining every second. Watching just as uselessly as they watch the Hunger Games broadcasts from practically the same location. Madge can barely see through the blurring effect of her tears and the fogging of her breath on the window.

Then she makes out a small figure break through the crowd into the inner clearing… _Katniss._ Katniss being her absolute best, fiercest, Katnissy self, screaming at the Peacekeeper with the whip, and seconds later hurtling herself into the whip's path and taking a blow to her face. Madge gasps, but isn't surprised: Katniss did save herself _and_ Peeta in the Hunger Games. If anyone could save Gale, it would be her. Although the Peacekeeper looks ready to whip Katniss again, on purpose this time... But seconds later Haymitch appears, yelling something at the Peacekeeper, and then Peeta squeezes through the crowd and somehow the three of them deter the Peacekeeper from continuing the punishment.

But was their intervention too late? Both hands on the window pane, Madge doesn't blink until she's sure that Gale isn't dead. Finally she sees Katniss whispering something to him as they try to move him onto a board. Not dead, but she has no idea how he'll survive… The blood loss alone looks as awful as anything she's seen during the Hunger Games from dying tributes. She watches until the rescue party passes out of sight along the road to the Victor's Village and then blindly starts sobbing relieved tears.

After some indeterminate amount of time passes, she smells her mother's perfume and feels warm arms embracing her. Madge burrows into her mother the way she did when she was little until her brain catches up: her mother locked her in her room. Her mother _and Haymitch_, who could have intervened much sooner but apparently only felt moved to help Gale in order to rescue Katniss.

Madge quickly recoils and moves to several feet away, unmoved by the tear streaks on her mother's own face. Madge also notices her father standing in the doorway and silently directs some of her hatred toward him. How can she be related to these people? Her father's always said he considers his primary responsibility as mayor to protect the people of the district. So how can he let this kind of thing happen?

Mrs. Undersee stands up and moves slowly toward Madge as though Madge is a snake who might strike without warning.

"_A turkey_," Madge accuses in a low voice. "He might die, for a _turkey_! So his family _won't starve to death_." Her parents continue watching her cautiously, as though she might erupt. And she just might. "He needs a doctor," she decrees. "And maybe a blood transfusion. Send Dr. Hudson."

Her parents exchange glances, and then her father says apologetically, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"We can afford it — I won't go to my next appointment. I'll never go again. He needs help."

As her father shakes his head sadly, something inside Madge snaps and she crosses the room to her desk, where she scrawls on a piece of paper: _I know about the surveillance. _She leaves unarticulated the threat that she'll start saying who knows what aloud if they don't agree. "_Send the doctor_," she demands aloud, thrusting the paper at her father.

Madge's father starts writing a response while her mother retrieves the small cardboard morphling box from the floor near the window where she'd been comforting Madge. She hands the box to Madge at the same time her father finishes his note: _Dr. Hudson = informant. Ivy Everdeen better anyway. Morphling will do what she can't._

Clutching the box tightly, Madge resolves to think later about the fact that her father, the mayor and the very representation of the Capitol in the district, is decrying their family doctor as an informant… At the moment, she's focused on her father's role in ensuring all the Peacekeepers had been briefed on the 'dangers' of Gale Hawthorne, which probably wouldn't have saved Gale from being punished for poaching but certainly didn't help.

Without looking at her parents, she crumples the paper they'd been writing on, throws it to the floor in the middle of her room, and exits with the morphling box.

* * *

**A/N:** So, this had to happen. Poor Gale. I have to say, for a series about kids killing one another and all sorts of other terrors, the whipping still stands out as one of the most horrifying scenes to me.

Sorry for the longer than usual wait on this chapter... Thank you as always to everyone reading this. I really appreciate the reviews and the favoritings (can we make that a word?) and hearing what people thought. HUGE thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

Part 13

Madge embraces the surveillance as an excuse not to speak to her parents for the duration of the snowstorm that coops them all up together. Her mother is unconscious most of the time anyway, apparently suffering the after-effects of the stress associated with Madge's meltdown and subsequent freeze-out. Her father occasionally attempts to talk to her when they run into each other in the kitchen, both foraging for meals since Lulu is at home with her own family, but Madge ignores him. There's nothing she wants to hear from him that he can say within range of the surveillance, and she's so angry but without a good outlet for it that ignoring him becomes the only solution.

She spends most of the snowstorm dully watching the town square from the front windows as the new Peacekeepers struggle through the snow drifts to install a gallows, stocks, and other implements of torture and oppression. The town square has always been a comforting, bustling refuge from the stillness of her house, but seeing how it's been transformed leaves her with an ache. She wonders if Peeta finished his mural of the real town square in his study and if he'd mind her sitting there instead of in her house in rejection of this new reality…

After a few days the snowstorm subsides, and Madge wakes up to the sound of her father on the phone in his study. The door is open so she stands in the doorway in her pajamas, not hiding the fact that she's listening.

"Yes, indefinitely," he says into the phone. "Until I hear otherwise from the central administration office. No, pre-processing operations are not authorized either… No work at all is authorized. Yes, of course I'll let you know."

He hangs up and slumps back in his seat. Despite the fact that she's mad at him, Madge feels sorry for how beaten down he looks at the moment.

"Mines are closed," he announces after a few moments.

"It's winter," she says flatly. "Nobody needs coal?"

"There have been… transportation disruptions. Due to the storm. No trains are available to take the coal to the distribution centers. No point mining if it can't be transported."

Madge stares at him, certain this means unrest in other districts is fouling up the delivery schedules. Which means she needs more information _now_. "Is the Justice Building closed, too? When can I start my internship?"

Her father brightens slightly, whether at the idea of Madge starting her internship or just that she's talking to him again she can't tell. "No, its open. We can walk over together after breakfast if you'd like."

Madge agrees with a curt nod and returns to her room to get ready. If they're walking outside, surely she can ask him some questions during those few minutes of surveillance-free time…

Which she does. As soon as they're a safe distance from the house, she says very quietly, "You should have told me about the surveillance in the house. Why was I the only one not allowed the option of privacy?"

"We thought it would upset you too much. It upsets me. It only used to be the phones, which didn't really affect you."

"But by not telling me, it's like _you_ were spying on me, too," Madge accuses in a low whisper, uneasily eyeing the Peacekeepers on the roof of the next building, standing ready by a mounted machine gun. "Where's the line between committing the crime and letting the crime happen?"

Her father is silent for a moment and then says, "You wanted this internship as a learning experience… Lesson number one: there aren't easy answers to questions like that." As though to make his point, he doesn't even try to answer and instead asks how she knew about the surveillance.

She could mention finding the memos, but she doesn't want to let on how much of a snoop and trouble-maker she's becoming in case it endangers her father in some way (or in case he restricts her access to information), so she fumbles through an explanation about seeing the workers with the wires and him mentioning the piano song she composed for her grandmother.

"And that was enough for you to figure it out?" He seems mildly surprised.

Madge debates mentioning Simon, but decides not to and merely makes a vaguely affirmative noise before launching into her next question. "The transportation disruptions… Does that mean there are problems in the other districts?"

He glances at her, but doesn't question her awareness of the real reason behind the transportation issues, apparently realizing she's picked up on more than she's let on. "There have been some problems elsewhere," he admits. "The central administration office is having a hard time keeping up."

They walk past the newly installed gallows, which thankfully hasn't been used yet, but casts a sinister pall over the square. Under her breath Madge asks, "And is all this related to the train schedules?"

Her father nods. "Deterrence motivators."

"Cruelty, more like."

He sighs wearily. "If we can get by with increased enforcement and more Peacekeepers here, I'll consider it a victory."

Madge won't. She asks to be assigned the transportation department that morning and learns that most of the trains delivering goods _to_ District 12 are being delayed or canceled due to the 'storm.' In addition to despair that _this is it_ – this was the opportune moment she and Gale had been waiting for – she knows from talking with merchant families like the Mellarks that soon there won't be enough supplies in Twelve for everyone to survive.

She realizes she's going to have to distribute the food she and Gale had stockpiled unless the trains start coming through.

But how? The people who need the food most desperately are the Seam residents, and the Seam is Gale's area of expertise. Consulting with him isn't an option, and unfortunately Madge has no idea how to pull off a clandestine food distribution operation… She considers asking Katniss and Peeta to help, but they're so recognizable throughout the district they could never pull off the kind of covert sneaking around Madge knows will be necessary.

Then she remembers Gale mentioning the names of some of his friends and crewmates – people he said he trusted and wanted to bring in on their plans. Madge looks them up in the address records, and spends a few days debating approaching them, hoping in the meantime that the trains will have started running again. But the situation continues to grow even bleaker. When she sees a boy about the same age as Gale's youngest brother in the stocks for 'stealing' fallen chestnuts in the town park, Madge knows she can't just hope the situation will improve.

First potential collaborator: a boy named Orey, who she remembers as the fiddle-player among Gale's friends she'd met on the night of Katniss and Peeta's surprise Hunger Games victory. Taking a sustaining breath, Madge knocks on the door of a typically run-down Seam hose, and to her extreme relief the vaguely familiar face of a boy Gale's age opens the door and warily asks if she's lost.

"I'm looking for Orey Sedgewick." He nods in response. "You're friends with Gale Hawthorne?" Another nod, still guarded. She spots some family members in the house listening curiously. "Could I speak to you outside for a moment?"

Orey wordlessly joins Madge in the street, uneasily watching her with his hands in the pockets of his threadbare jacket. She struggles to find the right words – _'are you starving and do you want to risk your life to help me distribute stolen food?'_ isn't exactly a natural conversation starter and it makes her wish Gale were doing this instead of her.

But thinking about Gale strengthens her resolve. "I know Gale trusts you," she starts, "and I remember meeting you the night the Hunger Games ended. You're a very talented musician." She smiles but he still looks suspicious, which she acknowledges is probably wise – she wouldn't trust the mayor's daughter if she were him, either. "I have access to some extra food supplies," she continues, "but I don't know how best to distribute them. Extreme discretion is necessary. Gale would have helped but…"

Orey squints as though trying to figure out if she's crazy. "What do you have?"

"What don't I have?" Madge explains that she has the entire range of Parcel Day package contents and as she speaks Orey's defensiveness starts to subside. He agrees to help her distribute the food in the Seam and recruits a few other friends, who all arrange to meet Madge at midnight at the cemetery.

The flaws in her plan start to emerge when she actually puts it into practice. The entire shed's contents of supplies is only enough to help a few blocks of Seam residents. It actually makes her feel worse to think that only a handful of families – the ones who Gale's friends know – are benefiting. It doesn't seem fair, and she worries that the other families will be resentful and report them… But she doesn't see any alternatives, and the next day they retrieve the stuff from the community center and from her family's cellar, staggering trips and using different people to avoid drawing the attention of the Peacekeepers.

Madge is amazed when they successfully remove the last package from the locked room in the community center without running into trouble, but her sense of accomplishment fades when Orey tells her that night that those parcels didn't make much of a difference either.

#

A few days later, Madge is working in the vital statistics department, which she's already familiar with from her experience tampering with the district's population database. She'd spent the morning tallying the number of recent deaths: over 20 since the new Peacekeepers arrived. 'Natural causes' (really: starvation), 'illness' (starvation), 'old age' (starvation), 'exposure' (lack of coal, in combination with the ridiculous new prohibition on using fallen branches for firewood).

She can't decide if it would be better or worse for the district for her to report the deaths in the official population database like she's supposed to. If the Capitol sees its reign of terror having an impact, maybe they'll start letting the trains through again. But not recording the deaths means that many more parcels on the next Parcel Day, and the last week has only reinforced for Madge the benefit of having reserve supplies… If not for a rebellion, merely for survival.

Partly to clear her head and partly to check on her mother, Madge walks back to her house for lunch. Her mother's been having an especially hard time lately, the way she gets during the Hunger Games. She's sleeping, though, so Madge quietly dines on watery soup in the kitchen with Lulu and then heads back to the Justice Building.

On her return trip, she hears someone calling her name and swivels to see Mrs. Everdeen approaching her from across the street. Madge hurries to meet her, hoping to glean some news of Gale. She's had nightmares nearly every night about the whipping and has been going a little crazy not knowing how he's doing. He looked mostly dead when she last saw him, being hauled away from the whipping post. And after seeing Katniss looking so deranged – and suspicious? although she may have been imagining that – when Madge delivered the morphling, she hasn't tried to visit.

"Madge," Mrs. Everdeen says, "Is your mother home? I wanted to thank her for sending that morphling. It was very kind and it's made a tremendous difference."

"Oh, good," Madge says, relieved the morphling was helpful. "My mother's home, but she's… asleep."

"I take it she still gets those headaches?" Mrs. Everdeen asks with a concerned frown, which Madge responds with a nod. "It's such a pity. She was so lively when we were younger."

'A pity' doesn't even start to cover how Madge feels at being deprived of a mother, but of course she'd never say that. "Mrs. Everdeen, you don't have any treatments that might help her, do you? Nothing Dr. Hudson tries has worked."

"Well, the causes of headaches are unclear and we're often only able to treat the pain. And nothing compares to morphling for masking pain, so as long as she has morphling I think that's the best anyone can do... I'm sorry."

Madge knows morphling is rare in District 12 and is grateful her mother gave some to Gale. In fact, she doesn't know anyone else besides her mother and Dr. Hudson who have any. The apothecary in town doesn't, and Madge's mother's supply is sent directly from the Capitol. A strange thought occurs to her: what if her mother married her father so she could have access to morphling? She knows they met when her father moved to Twelve as the new mayor, and got married soon after that… They always seemed to get along well from Madge's perspective, but morphling has also been a sensitive issue between them…

Curious if Mrs. Everdeen can provide any insights, Madge asks, "What she did for the headaches before she married my father?"

"Oh, she didn't have them when we were growing up. Sometimes these conditions don't present until later in life."

"They aren't because she misses my aunt?" That had always been Madge's operating explanation: something about the twin connection and the trauma of seeing her other half senselessly murdered.

"Oh no. We lost touch long ago, but I know it was several years after Maysilee… Well."

Madge assures Mrs. Everdeen she'll pass along her thanks, and then says good-bye and walks back to the Justice Building, worrying that Dr. Hudson is somehow responsible for her mother's headaches. Her parents had both been so quick to dismiss the idea of sending him to help Gale, and her father had said he was an informant for the Capitol… He's been the family doctor for Madge's entire life and she never thought he seemed particularly dangerous, just kind of distant and clinical. But if he's a threat, why would they keep going to him?

Her musings are interrupted by the security guards at the door to the Justice Building, which reminds her that her immediate concern is the imminent starvation of so many people who she might be able to help. She detours to the basement and confirms that the excess parcels from Parcel Day are still being stored in the same room (well, the parcels she hadn't already harvested for piecemeal relocation to the cemetery shed). They are.

Madge stares at the parcels, trying to come up with strategies for liberating them. Security is so stringent now, there's no way she'll be able to sneak anything significant out on her own. But there must be some way…

#

Gale's recovery limps along in a blur of pain and opiates. Day and night don't mean anything; he's asleep pretty much all the time and he's grateful for that because whenever he's conscious it feels like someone is holding a blowtorch to his back. The smacking sound of the whip also haunts him, and more than once he finds himself flinching when somebody closes the Everdeen pantry door too roughly during one of his rare moments of lucidity.

After a few days his wounds stop actively bleeding whenever he makes the slightest motion so Mrs. Everdeen relocates him to one of the guest bedrooms. He still sleeps nearly all the time because of all the medications and because his body is so weak, but whenever he's conscious he tries to get caught up on what's happening in the district and beyond.

He and Katniss can communicate effectively with expressions and coded words, so despite the surveillance and his inability to leave the house she's able to fill him in on just how dire the circumstances are becoming in the rest of the district and how people are reacting. The only sense Gale can make of it is that District 12 is being crushed into submission before it has a chance to take a stand. Which possibly means the Capitol is reacting against District 8's uprising, and maybe (hopefully) others…

And all Gale can do is lie on his bed, suffocating in his own uselessness, pain, and rage. Whenever his memory flashes to an image of that monster who whipped him, Gale feels like he might choke on his hatred: he literally has trouble swallowing. Sometimes before he drifts back into a medical haze, he passes the time imagining creative and painful ways to kill the new Head Peacekeeper. A simple gunshot would be too clean and easy. Maybe a vat of acid. Or a pit of rattlesnakes.

It occurs to him that he's engaging in the same thing the Gamemakers do when they plan each year's Hunger Games, so he tries to stop… But it's not easy and his thoughts drift back to creative vengefulness with more ease than he'd like to admit.

He wakes up one afternoon to find Katniss sitting in the armchair in his room. She's flipping through her family's book of plant drawings, concentrating on the pages and, aside from the ugly bruise on her face that marks her bravery, she looks so much like the old, determined Katniss he remembers from before the Hunger Games that he finds himself smiling at the familiar memory. It's refreshing to let his mind think about better times – long, free days in the woods – rather than where his thoughts have been taking him lately.

Katniss notices he's awake and walks over to sit on the edge of his bed, causing him to wince slightly as the sheets shift along his back.

"Sorry," she whispers. "Didn't mean to hurt you. How are you feeling?"

"Well, I think I'm off turkeys for life…"

"That joke isn't getting any funnier," she returns with an eye-roll. "Do you need anything? Do you want me to get my mom or Prim?"

Katniss has been strangely attentive, which he interprets as her attempt to make up for the last few months and for not telling him the Capitol's true agenda for her until the morning of the day he was whipped. It helps to know that she and Peeta both consider their engagement to be phony, but until there's some way out of it that doesn't get any of them anywhere. And like Katniss had said (her _'I know' _still echoes painfully in his memory), they're all facing more pressing problems at the moment.

"No, I'm fine. Did you go already? How are they?" He's anxious for news of his family and Katniss had planned to visit this morning.

"Posy's still sick and your mom still has a lot of time on her hands." Code for no laundry business, which Gale takes as his fault for being a known criminal and which Katniss immediately tries to minimize. "They'll be fine, though."

Translation: she brought them some food. He's grateful she's feeding his family, although it's hard to know that not only is he failing to provide for them right now but he's also the cause of their deprivation. No, the Capitol is the cause, but Gale still feels blameworthy.

"Stop that," Katniss scolds even though Gale hasn't done anything other than look tormented.

He knows she's mentally lecturing him about how he'd be doing the same for her family if their positions were reversed, and it's true. For years their priorities in life had matched perfectly: each other and their respective families. When Katniss had told him in that hut that President Snow had directly threatened both of them and their families, she'd transported him back to the morning of the reaping, when everything went wrong because they hadn't run off and averted this entire mess. They could fix it right then: just take their families and leave all the sordid, complicated disorder and horror behind. But Katniss' clarification that Haymitch and Peeta (and apparently even Peeta's family) would be accompanying them was a harsh reminder that their priority lists no longer matched. And once she let it slip that District 8 was uprising, Gale knew he couldn't run away from what he's started to feel is his responsibility – starting a District 12 uprising. At some point, the entire district made it onto his list.

The whipping was easily the worst thing Gale had experienced in his life (no picnic to start with) but he'll readily admit that it did have one good side effect: getting the real Katniss to send the imposter Katniss back to the Capitol. And as a bonus, the real Katniss had come around to adopting Gale's new priority list.

"Katniss," he says, pushing himself up in the bed and fighting the accompanying dizziness. "Did you find out anything more about…" Fortunately, Katniss knows he's inquiring about District 8.

Unfortunately, she's unwilling to talk about it. "Shhhh, don't worry about that. Do you want some soup? I think my mom is making some, so I promise it's good."

"I want to know what's going on."

"I know you do, but I don't know anything and you need to concentrate on healing. Let me go get the soup."

She leaves and Gale ends up falling asleep before she returns, which he discovers hours later to his dismay, feeling betrayed by his own body in this weakened state.

#

A few days later Gale feels strong enough to walk around outside briefly, motivated by severe cabin fever and the opportunity for a surveillance-free chat with Katniss.

"Gale, I still don't know anything more," she says quietly as they walk on the lawn of the Victor's Village. "And any plans here will have to wait until you can stay awake for more than an hour at a time."

"But what if this is the best time to take action? If they're busy fighting Eight, it means they'll have less to send our way."

Katniss considers this and then nods. "That makes sense… But even if this is the best time to work with the other districts, it doesn't seem like the best time for us here…"

He knows she's thinking about Darius' unexplained disappearance, the burning of the Hob, the ongoing closure of the mines, and countless other hardships. Adding to the timing pressure Gale feels so acutely is the news that more Peacekeepers keep pouring into the district, commandeering supplies, food, and even space in homes from the people in town. The more Peacekeepers in the district, the harder it will be to overcome them.

"Ripper and Zeke were in the stocks this morning," Katniss continues, "and I heard Old Man Werner froze to death."

Gale kicks a rock in frustration. They aren't even getting the opportunity to fight. Gale himself can barely even walk around this stupid lawn without pain and fatigue.

Katniss makes a motion and Gale looks up to see her waving at Peeta, who's exiting his house and starting to walk down the road to town. Peeta waves at them but doesn't approach, which Gale appreciates. Even seeing Peeta from a distance has the effect of making Katniss either go fidgety or, worse, uncharacteristically soft, and both situations are unpleasant for Gale to witness.

Gale could generally do with less Peeta Mellark in his life. The guy is constantly at Katniss' house, as evidenced by the dizzying array of fresh breads in the Everdeen kitchen, which Gale knows don't get there by levitating across the lawn. Gale's also annoyed because Peeta made a point of telling him that Madge was the one who supplied the morphling, supposedly at her mother's insistence, although Gale could tell Peeta suspected otherwise and was trying to protect Katniss from any hint that Gale hadn't been pining mournfully like a lapdog for Katniss despite being rejected and trampled on by her for the past half year. Gale _has_ been pining so Mellark doesn't have anything to be judgmental about, but even more offensive was Peeta's assumption that he, Saint Peeta, knows what's best for Katniss. After that conversation, Gale had renewed his efforts at being, or at least appearing to be, unconscious whenever Peeta was around. Luckily, Peeta has seemed equally content to avoid interacting with Gale.

Still, Gale is obviously grateful for the morphling. He hadn't noticed any in the boxes of medical supplies he'd been pilfering from in the Justice Building and wonders if Madge had some in hers. He never saw what she was able to get in that bag she had with her. Or maybe she stole it from her mom… The idea of Mrs. Undersee voluntarily giving an expensive drug to him is laughable.

"Gale," Katniss says, looking slightly nauseous, "one of the wounds opened up again. Let's get you back inside to my mom."

He follows her eyes to his shoulder, where sure enough a patch of red is staining his shirt. He's so used to the constant background pain he hadn't noticed this wound re-opening. Kind of like he's so used to the ambient oppression in District 12 he doesn't feel as discouraged about these latest demonstrations of the Capitol's might. He is worried, however, that not everyone thinks like he does, which will make convincing people to take a stand that much more difficult.

Gale finds Katniss' mom in the kitchen, while Katniss conveniently decides the firewood supply needs to be replenished and disappears into the cellar. Gale doesn't blame her; he'd rather be getting firewood than looking at his mutilated back, too.

As Katniss' mom replaces the loose bandage, there's a knock at the door. Mrs. Everdeen leaves to answer it and returns with Rory.

Gale ruffles Rory's hair when he's in close enough range. "What's the news, Roaring Lion?"

Rory twists away from Gale and perches on one of the kitchen chairs. "I hear you can walk now?"

"Only a very limited basis," Mrs. Everdeen clarifies, "and it looks like you overdid it today, Gale."

Gale has no response other than disgust that five minutes of slow walking on a manicured lawn is apparently too much of a strain for his body. Mrs. Everdeen shoots him a sympathetic look and then asks Rory how school was.

"Oh, it was fine," Rory says distractedly, glancing around the room.

"Prim's at the community center," Gale smirks, although he restrains himself from laughing when Rory scowls at being caught. The kid is so transparent. Gale knows not to interpret Rory's frequent visits as a sign of brotherly concern; Rory usually just pokes his head into Gale's room, sees that his brother is still breathing, and then promptly disappears to 'help Prim.' Exactly what assistance Rory provides is unclear.

"She'll be home any minute," Mrs. Everdeen says diplomatically. "All right, Gale, that should do it. But you should lie down again for the rest of the afternoon." She hands Gale some pills and then shoos both boys out of the kitchen so she can clean up and start making dinner.

Rory follows Gale up to his guest bedroom, where Gale gratefully lies down. He hates to admit it, but he's feeling drowsy again and can barely keep his eyes open as Rory reclines in the chair near Gale's bed and updates him about their family and neighbors.

"Vick got in his first fight." Rory announces, though he sounds like he's not sure if he should be proud or disapproving.

"Did he win?"

"You don't see him over here, do you?"

"No, that's your specialty." Gale grins, aware that Rory means Vick didn't get hurt enough to need Katniss' mom's help. "I know how much you care. About me."

"Do you want to know about the fight or not?"

Hearing about an eleven-year old's fight is probably the most exciting thing Gale will do today, so he nods and Rory proceeds to describe Vick fending off some bullies during recess. Gale's glad to hear that Vick is toughening up, but the fact that there was a fight at all is a disturbing indicator of general playground hostility brought on by hunger. Gale's seen it before: jealousies erupting about who has what during the lunch period, who isn't sharing but should, the slightly better off trying to hide their good fortune from the worse off. It's all a reminder that they're the Capitol's caged animals, fighting one another for scraps just like the Capitol wants.

Rory moves on to list which of their neighbors have been arrested or put in the stocks lately. It sounds like the crackdown isn't letting up any time soon… As angry as he is, Gale can feel sleep pulling him away until Rory says something that jolts him awake again.

"Oh, and your friends Orey and Jed were arrested at the Justice Building last night."

"For what?"

"Something called loitering? Mom said it means standing around." Rory makes a disgusted noise. "How can standing in public places be a crime?"

Gale nudges Rory with his foot to cue him that he's getting into dangerous territory. Rory knows about the surveillance, but doesn't have as good a sense for how to edit himself, and Gale can't explain aloud that enforcement of anti-loitering laws surely indicates the Peacekeepers' attempts to prevent any large gatherings of people. They must really be concerned about a possible uprising, which makes Gale wonder if the Capitol knows something he doesn't about a resistance movement in Twelve.

And since when do Orey and Jed go anywhere near the Justice Building? Gale remembers introducing Madge to Orey on the night of Katniss' Hunger Games victory and wonders if she had something to do with it…

Whatever the situation, he anxiously hopes the punishment for loitering isn't as severe as the punishment for poaching.

* * *

**A/N:** Orey is a friend of Gale's I made up in this story's prequel, Not Yet a Hurricane. It's not necessary to have read - he's just mentioned briefly as playing a fiddle. (And as a side note: the scene breaks in that story have all disappeared and I take it that the only way to restore them is by reloading each chapter in corrected form? Does anyone know if that activates the story alerts? I don't want to be annoying...)

Anyway, hopefully this chapter was OK. Madge was a busy bee, but Gale was tougher. As tempting as it was to just write him off as unconscious and enraged, I had to try to fill in the gaps a little... Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	14. Chapter 14

Part 14

Madge hovers anxiously at the front door of her house, willing her father to _hurry up_ so they can go get Gale's friends Orey and Jed out of the jail. She bounces on her heels, jittery from nerves and from not sleeping last night because she was so worried about them. And because she's so aware that this situation is entirely her fault.

Finally her father joins her and they exit while Mrs. Undersee watches, silently broadcasting her fury through tightly crossed arms and eyes so narrowed they're practically closed. Most of her anger is directed at Madge's father, but Madge knows she's not immune, and she knows she deserves it.

When they're a safe distance from the house, Madge frantically asks if they're going to the jail first.

Her father shakes his head. "That would draw too much attention to the situation. I'll make a phone call."

"How bad is the jail?"

Her father raises his eyebrows. "It's not pleasant."

"It should have been me," she frets. "I should have thought about the anti-loitering law."

"It hasn't been enforced in years," her father observes in a frustrated tone.

The plan had been for her to meet Orey and Jed by the northwest side door of the Justice Building at 6:00 p.m. on the dot so they could get more of the Parcel Day packages out of the storage room. They'd avoided detection over the previous days by using different exits from the building, carefully timing trips, and hiding the parcels in other boxes. Madge would wait elsewhere in the building until she could see from a window that whoever she was meeting (their group had expanded considerably) was at the designated door, and then she'd slip into the storage room, conceal the packages, and hand them off at the door. But Orey and Jed hadn't shown up, and by 6:30 she left her post to try to track them down. None of their friends or family members knew where they were until word made its way through the gossip circuit that they'd been arrested for loitering, at which point Madge figured out they must have arrived at the rendezvous early and attracted the attention of the patrolling Peacekeepers.

"Dad. How mad is Mom?"

"Pretty mad," he admits. "You could say we disagree about the extent to which I've allowed you to get into this situation. I'm not sure I know myself, to be honest."

It was gradual. A few comments here and there on walks between home and the Justice Building. And when Madge realized there was no way to get the leftover packages out of the building without her father's assistance, she finally had to approach him. She'd walked into his office with the vital statistics updates about the recent starvation deaths: just set the forms on his desk and stared at him. She knew he thought she was waiting for an explanation he didn't have, so she calmly started writing on a piece of paper that there were leftover parcels in a storage room that the Capitol didn't know about due to a database error and that if they could just get them out of the building, it could help people. He'd been resistant at first, but eventually had come around and together they formulated a plan.

When everything had gone to hell the night before, with Madge hysterically begging her father to get Orey and Jed released from the jail, they'd had to tell Madge's mother what they'd been doing. She didn't take it well, furious that her husband hadn't consulted with her before endangering Madge. Most of the 'argument' took place via scribbled notes as they sat in front of the fireplace, burning the notes as soon as they filled a page. Madge found it strangely fitting that the most ferocious fight her family had ever had was completely silent, the way their house usually is…

"Good morning, Your Honor," the guard on duty says as Madge and her father pass through the main security entrance to the Justice Building. Madge follows her father to his office and waits impatiently while he reviews his messages and gives a few orders to his deputies.

After what feels like forever, he sits at his desk and dials a number on the phone. "Undersee. Yes, good day to you as well. Trying to locate two youths by the names of Sedgewick and Harlan. I believe they were mistakenly picked up recently."

While the person on the other end checks, Madge's father gestures for her to pick up a second phone in his office and he presses a button that lets her listen in.

"Your Honor, two hoodlums with those names were booked last night. Picked up outside the Justice Building for loitering. Scheduled for two days in the stocks each, but as you know, there's quite a waiting list lately." The voice laughs lightly, as though the routine humiliation of district citizens is an amusing aside.

"I'd like to speak to the arresting officer," Mayor Undersee says impatiently.

The voice stops laughing and submissively says, "Yes, sir."

A few moments later, a second voice picks up. "Officer Wyatt speaking. You had a question about the recent loitering arrests, Your Honor?"

"Yes, I'm afraid there's been a mix up. I'd hired those two young men to paint the parlor at my residence with leftover paint from the new auditorium here. The boys were waiting for my daughter because she can't carry the buckets on her own. She was running late, so any loitering they may have done was inadvertent."

He shoots a questioning glance at Madge, who nods. This was the story they'd come up with in advance. She hopes Orey and Jed didn't say anything inconsistent…

"They looked suspicious. Standing around the side door like that."

"I'm sure they did," Mayor Undersee says. "But I'm afraid the only crime was my daughter's tardiness, which I assure you, we'll be addressing. I'd appreciate it if you could process the discharge paperwork quickly." He changes his tone to conspiratorial and adds, "Between you and me, I'm catching hell from my wife for delaying this painting project. The First Lady needs the parlor for her bridge game on Friday and apparently the room looks frightful." He chuckles, which triggers the officer to laugh in response and agree to get started on the paperwork.

"Much obliged, Officer Wyatt. And keep up the good work. Would you mind sending the boys to the main security gate? My daughter will meet them there."

"Yes, sir."

Her father presses a button that disconnects the lines and then stares at his desk and lets out a long, slow breath. Looking up at Madge, he says for the benefit of the surveillance, "Well, hopefully your mother will be satisfied. You _really_ must be more conscientious about your schedule, Madge. It's an important professional skill you should be developing."

"Sorry," Madge croaks. Is she ever sorry.

Her father jots a note and pushes it across the table: _Get them started on painting_. He pulls the paper back and then holds it above the old fashioned mining lantern on his desk, which he ignites. The paper disintegrates into ashes within seconds.

Looks like they have to follow through with the whole story… As though her mother isn't already furious, now she has to have her parlor painted by two out of work miners with whatever random color of leftover paint Madge finds in the storage areas of the Justice Building. Her family's house is considered Capitol property, so it's expected that they'll use leftover paint from the Justice Building, which was how she came up with the plan in the first place.

As Madge walks to the security gate, she feels a moment of intense gratitude that they'd developed such a complete cover story. Getting caught with Gale in the Justice Building had terrified her, and if it hadn't been for Gale's quick thinking she shudders to think what could have happened to them. Her father had insisted she have explanations thought-out for each situation that might arise, and Madge had happily agreed, aware of how flustered she tends to get under pressure. He'd helped her understand the patrol patterns both inside and outside the building, and for each movement of parcels they'd devised an explanation of what the items were and why they needed to be removed from the building. Madge would brief whoever was helping her each time, and it had all gone well until last night…

Soon she arrives at the gate, where Orey and Jed are waiting, rumpled and exhausted. Unshaven and rattled.

"Hi," she greets nervously. "Are you all right?

Jed looks like he wants to punch someone (probably her, Madge thinks), but Orey says they're fine. "At least we got fed," he says with a shrug. Madge feels like someone did just punch her – even jail is better than the Seam in certain ways… But it's freezing outside and two full days in the stocks is too awful to consider, so at least that part of their punishment has been avoided.

"You can have lunch at my house," she tells them. "On a break from painting."

"We're going to paint? Today? After all that?" Jed sounds incredulous.

Madge nods tensely, hoping he won't say anything that gives them away. Orey seems to be on the same wavelength as Madge and nudges Jed roughly. "Mines are still closed; what else are we doing lately?"

"We need to get the paint from the basement," Madge tells them. They quietly follow her to a storage closet and each grab a few cans of paint in various shades of ivory. She understands their surprise; it's surreal to her as well to be carrying their deception this far. But since her house is under surveillance and officials from the Capitol drop by unannounced, she guesses it's necessary…

#

Peacekeepers continue to arrive by the trainload and start patrolling the cemetery area, which leaves Madge relieved she got all the stolen food out of the shed during the earlier stages of the security crackdown. All that's left of the thieving she and Gale did are two boxes of medicine, one buried in the shed and one in Madge's closet at home. With the supply trains blocked throughout the country, food prices are so high that food is almost worth more than the pills and Madge reluctantly starts looking through her box for duplicate medicines she could sell.

The hard part is tracking down a buyer. She has to ask quite a few people before someone gives her a lead, but eventually she does get one and sets out for the Seam one night to attempt to barter, coat pockets stuffed with pill bottles. Another task she would have preferred Gale to deal with, but she doesn't even know if he's still suffering at the Everdeen house or back home again, and, most importantly, she's unwilling to risk anyone's safety other than her own anymore. Gale especially can't be caught again.

Her source had told her to locate a house in Block 42 with a broken rocking horse in the front yard. She's on the right block, scanning for a broken rocking horse when she hears her name.

"Madge? What are you doing here?"

She finds herself facing a very surprised-looking Gale, who she hasn't seen since he was dragged as a bloody pulp from the town square. She moves to hug him, but realizes that might hurt his injuries and instead soaks him in with her eyes. He looks like he hasn't shaved for a couple of days, which makes him seem older and is having the strange effect of making her curious about what the bristles on his cheeks and neck feel like. The pattern of dark stubble on his neck is especially fascinating…

And now that same neck is twisting. She follows his gaze to the pair of Peacekeepers farther down the block, and feels herself being pulled out of the street. They wait in shadows in the adjacent alley while the Peacekeepers walk by and Madge remembers he still thinks they're not supposed to be seen together. She can practically see the hate dripping from Gale's eyes as the white uniforms strut past, which makes her worry how much of it might be directed at her. Does he blame her for the whipping? For getting his friends arrested? Resent her for giving away all the food they stole?

When the Peacekeepers round the corner at the end of the street, Gale turns his attention back to Madge, hostility visibly draining away. They're crammed into a nook behind an outdoor shed and the wall of a neighboring house and she even doesn't know where to start with her questions for him.

"How's your back?" She asks tentatively.

"Amazing," he says in a bitter tone, but then he purses his lips and begrudgingly adds, "Thanks for the morphling. Was it part of our stash?"

"My mother's."

"Oh." He looks uncomfortable. "You stole it from your mother?"

"No, she gave it to me to give to you. I kind of… lost it when I figured out what was happening. They locked me in my room."

He sighs and then smiles slightly. "You really aren't cool under stress." She hears an affectionate undercurrent to his words, and is relieved to know he's not blaming her for the whipping. "Well, thank her for me, I guess… I didn't think they were fans of mine."

"They don't like the new Peacekeepers either, Gale. My father took you out of the security briefings… Not that it matters now."

She can tell Gale is restraining himself from a snide comment by the way his jaw tenses up, so she's grateful when he changes the subject. "I talked to Orey. He was a good person to ask."

"Is he upset with me?"

"No, they knew the risks. They got some of those parcels out of the deal, don't forget. Actually, they were bragging about how much your parents paid them for that painting job." Gale shrugs. "From their view, they came out ahead."

Madge still feels guilty, but sees Gale won't indulge her. "What about you? You're not mad I gave all the food away?"

"No. Things are… bad. Worse than I understood… People needed it." He pauses. "We still have the medicine, though, right?"

"I have one box at home, and one box is still buried in the shed, but I can't get to it."

"I saw them patrolling the cemetery. Bastards. As though the dead are going to rise up against them." He scowls and then adds, "Actually, the dead would probably be on our side and they'd help our numbers…"

Madge clutches one of the bottles of pills in her pocket and rattles it uneasily; she needs to tell him. "The medicine is worth less than food at this point… I think I found someone who will buy some of the pills. Just the duplicates and things I don't think would be as crucial…"

"No," he says sharply. "We can get more food, but not medicine."

Madge is surprised to hear he's still clinging to the unrealistic hope of rebelling. "Gale, they made their point. We're the ones who'll be hurt, not them. We're too dependent. Maybe it would have been a possibility if we had more food stockpiles than we did, or ever hoped of having, but the last weeks have shown just how pitiful our supplies were. Look at how easy it's been for them to trample us."

Gale scowls at the wall. "We'll try again. Medicine keeps longer than food. Things will go back to normal eventually, we'll get more parcels…"

She shakes her head. "I had to fix the population database. I think… the opportunity has passed. By the time they let up on us, they'll have tamed all the other districts and will be stronger than ever to crush us if we act up."

"What's happening in the other districts? Do they have a chance?" He steps even closer to her and looks so hopeful she's sorry she's going to have to give him the bad news.

"Violence, casualties, death, starvation, punishments, bombings… The districts are losing." It makes her sick to think about. Her father, in addition to having to worry about Madge's recent illegal activities, has been visibly stressed about how to prevent the same level of destruction from being inflicted on Twelve. She feels Gale deflate and slump backward, leaving enough space between them that she can't feel his warmth anymore.

"Madge, hold off on selling the medicine just yet, OK? Whatever you can get for a a few bottles of pills isn't going to make or break the entire district. And if we aren't going to use the medicine in an uprising we should give it to Katniss' mom. At least the stuff she can use."

He moves to stand right in front of her again and reaches with both hands into her coat pockets to pull out the vials. It's almost like he's embracing her and Madge feels a little embarrassed at how much she likes how close he is and the fact that he seems to feel perfectly comfortable rummaging through her pockets, as though she and her coat are just an extension of himself. Gale examines the labels of the pill vials, keeps one, and returns the rest to Madge's pockets.

As he puts the last one back, he stares at her with an unreadable expression for a few seconds, his eyes flitting briefly to her lips, and Madge thinks he might kiss her — he's close enough that she can feel his breath and she knows _she's_ thinking about how much she wants to kiss him. For real, not to trick guards. But then he frowns and steps back slightly, eyes focused on the single vial he kept.

"I'm going to hang on to this one," he says briskly. "Ruminic. Makes people throw up."

_OK, clearly he's thinking about other things. Like hurting the Peacekeepers. _Madge consciously takes a step back, annoyed at herself for being so terrible at reading him. Gale may be kidding himself about their chances of starting an uprising now, but she's just as bad at tricking herself into thinking he likes her as more than a co-conspirator.

"Fine," she says, sounding a little more frustrated than she intends. "I'll hold off." He's right that a few vials won't make much of a difference in the grand scheme and she thinks keeping Gale focused and hopeful is probably the best way for him to cope with the dismal conditions in the district.

Gale starts idly kicking a clump of weeds that managed to emerge from the dirty snow in the alley. Without looking up, he starts talking.

"Their engagement is fake. Turns out your father isn't the only one the Capitol is manipulating by making threats against people they care about." He explains that the president's visit before the Victory Tour was actually to intimidate Katniss and to threaten his family and Katniss', and that the engagement was one of Katniss and Peeta's attempts to appease the president.

Madge is horrified and also a little surprised she hadn't put it together on her own given what she knows about how the senior level people in the Capitol operate. Although Katniss and Peeta do usually seem affectionate when she's seen them together... She'd been more surprised at the suddenness of the engagement than the engagement itself.

"What are they going to do?"

Gale sighs and shakes his head, which Madge interprets as meaning there is currently no viable solution. It also helps explain why he can't give up on the idea of a rebellion.

After more kicking of the alley weeds, he looks over at her. "Nothing else has happened to you, has it?"

"Besides getting your friends arrested? I'm working in my father's office on the premise that if I like the work then I'll enroll in that training program. But of course I'll end up hating the work and not wanting to enroll."

"Why do I get the feeling they won't care what you want?" Gale asks pessimistically.

Madge is starting to worry about that possibility as well and hasn't worked out a Plan B.

#

Gale walks back to his house, grateful he ran into Madge before she sold the medicine, especially the Ruminic, which he's counting on as a way to minimize the impact of the Peacekeepers when District 12 has its uprising. Once they're back to a normal level of Peacekeepers, that is. Which will hopefully be soon. He'd been on his way home from Greasy Sae's shack, where he'd planned to she if needed help in exchange for anything edible he could take home to his family, but her neighbors told him she was in the stocks. Who knows for what; everyone seems to end up in the stocks lately.

Madge had clearly been trying to disguise herself with that big cloak, but he'd recognize her anywhere, even outside the house of the dodgy guy who's building a reputation for black market trading. He's a little uncomfortable that she was about to trade with some guy who wasn't even a Hob regular, but luckily he doesn't need to worry about that anymore.

At home, he finds Vick and Posy lying listlessly on either end of the couch, watching a cartoon on TV. They barely look up when he walks in.

"Where's Mom?"

"Visiting someone," Vick says. "Rory's watching us."

"He's not doing a very good job of it," Gale observes in light of Rory's absence, and starts opening the cupboards in the kitchen to see if any food appeared while he was out. Nope. They've already gone through the last delivery from Katniss. Or more accurately, the others have; Gale's been limiting his meals to a few mint leaves whenever he feels hungry. Since the mines are closed he doesn't need to keep up his strength, but the others are still growing. He also feels guilty for dining so well at Katniss' house for the past two weeks and is a little irritated that Rory hadn't told him how bad off they really were.

"Posy's been sleeping and I'm watching TV," Vick says in defense of Rory's non-babysitting. "He said he'd be back soon."

Gale doesn't actually mind; Vick is old enough to look after Posy. And it's not like either of them has enough energy lately to get into any trouble. He never thought he'd miss that stupid Tickle Monster game, but at least it meant they had normal energy levels for kids.

He slams the cupboard shut, angry the fence is electrified all the time now, and heads back into the bedroom he shares with Rory and Vick. He pulls out some of those political articles Madge gave him, though his only interest is distracting himself from the gnawing sensation in his stomach. He does end up distracting himself, not with the articles but because his thoughts keep drifting to Madge, who's kind of amazing in her determined, sneaky way. Overseeing a starvation relief operation and learning to navigate the Seam to the point where she can locate the beginnings of black market activity without him. Taking huge risks to do what she can to help people. There's something… exciting about how she keeps surprising him. And he doesn't know what she was doing differently, but she'd looked even prettier than he remembered, sort of bright and soft. Which he's going to have to be careful about…

He's drawn out of his daydream by the sound of the front door opening, accompanied by Rory's voice and some banging sounds. Gale walks back to the living room and sees Posy hanging over the back of the couch and watching the open front door, where Rory and Vick are carrying something into the house.

_Tesserae_.

Gale can't even speak at first; it feels like when he got in his first fight at school and the other kid knocked the wind out of him because he didn't know how to defend himself. Rory eyes Gale like he knows he's about to get yelled at.

"Take it back," Gale orders, trying to keep his tone even.

"Can't. You know that."

"No. We haven't eaten any of it. We can pack it all up and explain it was a mistake."

"Gale, it's done."

"We're going back right now." Gale grabs the package out of Rory's arms, and Rory tries to grab it back. Gale holds it up higher than Rory can reach, prompting Rory to try to jump and then just start punching Gale's stomach to get him to crumple. It doesn't work, so Rory tackles Gale, catching him off balance and sending them both to the ground.

Posy starts yelling at them to stop fighting while Vick watches silently in apparent confusion over whose side he should be on. Gale tries to curl up around the tessera packet to protect it, but Rory figures out what he's trying to do and grabs roughly at the package to break the seal.

The grains spill out, instantly ending the fight. Gale and Rory watch silently as the vile brown pellets pool into a pile on the floor. The gnawing feeling in Gale's stomach is replaced by nausea and dread. He can't volunteer for Rory this year; if Rory's name is called he'll have to go.

Rory speaks first. "You got them for us, even before Dad died. And you know they'd never take it back even if I didn't break it. They'd probably give me another entry as punishment for even asking."

Gale thinks Rory is right that they'd never accept a return, and it's certainly possible they would give him another entry just because they're that evil. He sits up and starts brushing the stray grains off his shirt.

"Rory, this is exactly what Mom and I have been trying to avoid..."

Rory glances at the couch, where Posy is still watching her brothers warily, and Gale sees that Rory's been just as worried as he has about all the weight Posy lost during her bout with measles.

"You had 42 and weren't picked."

"Ask Prim how many it takes," Gale snaps.

Rory swallows and tries to look brave. Too late Gale realizes he shouldn't be trying to make Rory feel worse since there's no way to undo the damage. Which means maybe it really is time to leave for the forest. Rory's too young to have a prayer of surviving the Hunger Games, and Gale can't even teach him how to hunt now that the fence is always electrified…

He helps Rory scoop up the fallen grains – they're not wasting a single one, not at this price – and berates himself for his utter failure to protect his family. If he hadn't been caught with that damn turkey, his mother's customers wouldn't have started treating their family as though they have the plague. And he should have let Madge sell the stupid medicine. He was wrong about it not being enough to make a difference — clearly it would have made a difference to his _own family_.

Fortunately, their mother is much better at dealing with the news than Gale. She must have seen the partially unloaded tesserae cart outside and put together what happened – she only has one child eligible to collect – because her eyes are teary when she enters the house and she goes straight to Rory to wrap him in a hug. She looks at Gale sadly over Rory's head and Gale loathes himself so intensely he has to leave.

He walks straight to the house with the broken rocking horse out front, prepared to part with the Ruminic.

* * *

**A/N:** The details of Rory signing up for tesserae are vague in the book, so there are probably several possible explanations, including that he did it while Gale was at Katniss' house. It's a point that's always bothered me because if Katniss was giving away food to all sorts of people, wouldn't she have first made sure Gale's family had enough? Anyway, I used it as more fuel to torture Gale and to show him having to give up hope in an uprising.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone following along and reviewing!


	15. Chapter 15

Part 15

The mines open again, to the entire district's relief, and slowly the normal train deliveries resume. Miners have to endure a seven-day schedule and lower wages to make up for lost productivity during the shutdown, which infuriates Madge – like they didn't suffer enough during the closure – but her father advises her to save her energy for other things. He starts inviting her to sit in on more of his meetings and she begins to absorb more and more of his methods for navigating the conflicting demands of Secretary Redwell's central administration office and what the district actually needs. Mrs. Undersee's hostility fades as the weeks pass, presumably because Madge hasn't been breaking any more laws, so thankfully the atmosphere at home isn't as tense as it had been.

One chilly morning as Madge and her father are walking to the Justice Building together, he announces that they need to do some damage control. "Secretary Redwell keeps questioning me about the parlor painting job," he explains. "She has a nose for deception, unfortunately, and has been asking about hiring these boys for other paint jobs. Which is absurd because she knows they're miners – it's her way of hinting to me that she suspects something is off. We need to distract her. Report some type of wrongdoing and prove that someone was punished. How many parcels are left in that storage room?"

"I'm not sure, just a fraction. We got most out."

"Explain to me again about the database errors that led to those extra parcels." Madge describes the glitch between the population database and the parcel reporting system while her father listens intently. When she'd first told him about all the extra parcels, she'd been vague about exactly what 'error' had led to such a large number of excess packages.

"We can say we discovered the error," her father concludes. "We'll emphasize that the error was completely due to the malfunctioning, out of date databases, and then ask permission to distribute the remaining parcels. I can almost guarantee the order will be to burn them, but we may as well try to keep what we can. If we're forced to burn them, the Secretary's office will feel like they 'won' on something, which may be helpful for us later. I'll also fire someone to send a message."

"Someone's getting fired? Isn't that going a little far?" It would be like a death sentence – there are so few job opportunities in the district, especially in town – and Madge is surprised her father would be so harsh.

"Nobody is getting fired," he clarifies. "There are some false names on payroll that I use for situations like this. The central administration office always feels more comfortable when they know people are suffering and being taught harsh lessons."

Madge listens in astonished silence as her father describes the number of non-existent 'employees' he has at various chronically underfunded government offices — names that are actually recently deceased victims of starvation, exposure, or whatever disease of the week happens to be ravaging the Seam. He keeps a few of the deceased 'employees' scattered throughout the district as a way to increase funding to those facilities, and when a firing is necessary to appease Secretary Redwell, it looks like somebody is suffering. Then the position needs to be filled again and he can start over. The Secretary is usually satisfied with a written report about the firing, and if she calls anyone for verification it's typically Mayor Undersee's deputy, who's on board with the scheme, or the department heads, who also know of the practice. Everybody supports the method because it brings more funding from the Capitol to the district, and her father only tells people he trusts. As added insurance, he arranges for the paper trail to lead back to those with knowledge of the scheme so everybody has an incentive to keep quiet.

"We'll need to report the database problem to the Secretary's office," he decides.

"Simon." Madge says, which prompts a questioning look from her father. "The Secretary's newest deputy? He taught me how to use the database. And about all its weak points. He… knows I was increasing the numbers and didn't report me."

Until now, she hadn't actually told her father she was altering the databases and he seems so shocked he can barely get his words out.

"When did you… Madge… Do you know how incredibly stupid and incredibly dangerous that was?"

What can she do other than nod? She does know. And she's still glad she did it.

"Nevermind. It's done." He shakes his head incredulously and then sighs. "Your mother is going to…" He trails off and then seems to focus on the first part of Madge's confession. "Simon? Are you sure we're talking about the same fellow? Smarmy young guy?"

"That's him. I can report the database problem to him and he'll back us up that the databases are old and unreliable."

Her father nods, still looking confused. "Are you sure, Madge? I caught him snooping around our house and suspect he took some of my papers."

"Isn't spying part of his job description?"

"Apparently. But usually those types are subtle about it and he blatantly took some of my old political theory articles, I can only imagine for future blackmailing purposes. The tenor of the articles would not be considered lawful."

"Oh!" Madge exclaims. "That wasn't him. I found the articles. In a closet on the third floor right after Katniss won the Hunger Games. I've been reading them," she admits.

Madge's father looks like he's going to collapse from shock. "All this time…? Madge, you don't know the stress those missing papers have caused me…"

"You and Mom never told me anything," she attempts to justify. "I just wanted to understand more and those articles explained things…"

"What are we going to do with you?" Her father mutters. They continue walking in silence for a few moments until he apparently can't resist asking, "Well? What did you think?"

"That we can do better," she says decisively. "As a way to organize and govern ourselves. This," she gestures with her head to the square where the gallows, stocks, and whipping post are located, "is not acceptable."

"Yes, well, unfortunately this is our reality." Her father gazes unhappily at the square; it's a familiar expression she's used to seeing on his face.

"Where did you get those papers, Dad?" She's never seen anything remotely similar in the district's community library, and the materials at school were pure propaganda in support of the Snow Administration and the Capitol. For as foreign as some of the words and concepts were to her in the articles, they still made sense in some kind of elemental way. The ideas seemed fair and logical, in sharp contrast to the arbitrariness and cruelty she's been seeing increasingly from the Capitol.

"I found them in an archive in a library in the Capitol," he admits. "When I was in the training program you keep hearing about. I stole them. And authored a few myself… there were a few of us who were like-minded. We'd get together and talk about our ideas." His voice takes on a wistful quality, as though he's recalling a happier time, and he seems to be looking at some distant object. Possibly backward in time.

Madge freezes. They're close to the entrance of the Justice Building and she wants to hear more. "What do you mean? There was a resistance movement?"

"No," he says sadly. "Merely some young fools… We've all since dispersed and realized the futility of our efforts. _Madge, no_. Don't get your hopes up. It's not worth it."

"Dad, but what if—"

"Madge," he says sternly. "Believe me. I've considered the issue more than you can possibly conceive and _it is impossible_. We have to make do as we can. _That's_ ultimately what I want you to take away from this internship."

He can't say anything else because the hardware store owner comes over to complain about delays in the deliveries of some type of power tool. Madge continues walking to the Justice Building on her own, mulling her father's revelation. True, she doesn't see any realistic way of getting rid of the Capitol just yet, but she's not ready to concede permanent defeat the way her father appears to have done.

Once inside, Madge adjusts the databases and supporting paperwork to make it look like only 3 extra parcels per month had been shipped to the district rather than 30. Eventually her father finds her and shows her how he keeps track of the false employees. Then Madge takes a deep breath and calls Simon.

"Simon? It's Madge Undersee from District 12."

"Well, well, well. Madge Undersee from District 12. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Madge smiles into the phone, mildly amused at how over the top he can take his smarminess and wondering just how much of it is an act. "I've started interning in my father's office."

"I'd heard," he says, subtly reminding her that he's still on surveillance duty. "How are you liking it?"

"I'm not sure yet," Madge returns hesitantly, wanting to lay the groundwork for refusing to join the training program later, since their conversation is surely being recorded. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this level of stress or responsibility… And I don't think I'm very good at this type of work. But I'll stick with it for now… Um, so I'm calling because we just finished an investigation and discovered some problems we wanted to report." She runs through the explanation about the database errors and the 'firing.'

"How unfortunate," Simon comments. "Inefficiencies are so offensive; it's a relief you discovered and corrected this error. And you say someone named Stella Perkins was fired?"

"Yes. I feel bad about that, actually," Madge lies. "She was a widow supporting a family and now she has a black mark on her employment record. But she really should have informed her supervisor about how unreliable the database was. This sort of oversight can't go unpunished. Hopefully everyone else in her department will take note of the consequences."

"Too true. We had a similar situation here in the central administration office recently. Some Shadowers were reprimanded for their unauthorized access to the traveling medical supplies. In fact, you may have met them…"

She realizes he's talking about the guards who caught her and Gale… "Reprimanded?"

"Corporal punishment and demotions in rank. They're on sewer duty now. Or, they will be when they recover."

Madge feels awful… Corporal punishment probably means whipping, and if it's anything like what happened to Gale, well, she wouldn't wish that on anyone. "I hope they learned their lesson," she says softly.

"As do I." There's a pause and then he says, "It sounds like you're learning a lot."

"I am." Learning about her father and his methods for alleviating some of the hardships imposed by the Capitol. How to play the game that he and Simon both seem to be playing. "My father will send the Secretary an official report. We just wanted to let you know it was coming."

"I appreciate it, and I'll be sure to inform the Secretary." He pauses again and says gently, "Take care, Madge."

"Bye, Simon."

She hangs up the phone and immediately retreats to the restroom so she can cry in peace, overwhelmed by the fact that she and Gale are responsible for those Shadower guards being punished. And that because of her, Gale's friends had to spend a night in jail and were just barely spared two days in the stocks in freezing weather.

It's one thing for her to sneak around and get away with it, but another thing entirely to get away with it while other people take the fall. The idea of any other human being suffering a whipping the way Gale did her makes her nauseous, and to know that it's solely because of her actions actually brings up her breakfast. As she cleans herself up afterward and tries to look presentable again, she thinks to herself that maybe she wasn't entirely lying to Simon when she said she wasn't sure she was cut out for this type of work.

#

Her father's plan appears to backfire: the next Parcel Day packages are purposefully ruined by the Capitol, infested with insects, rats, and mold. Madge discovers the blatant sabotage as she's helping to unpack the pallets at the distribution table and is furious that even though they were ordered to burn the few remaining parcels, the Capitol still wrecked the next delivery.

"It did distract them from your painter friends," her father points out sadly when she runs over to report the outrage to him.

"But people needed this food! I thought you said this would help us."

"Maybe it did," her father says. "Something much worse could have happened to your friends or to the district. Never underestimate the power of 'worse' when it comes to the central administration office."

Unsatisfied with his response, Madge stalks back to the town square, where a crowd of angry people are gathering and being pushed back by Peacekeepers. The hostile tone of the district citizens makes her a little anxious that the Peacekeepers are going to start using more brutal force than just shoving and she instinctively scans the mob to see if Gale is involved, hoping he isn't since he's already been marked as a trouble-maker. She hasn't seen him since he stopped her from selling the medicine, so she doesn't have a good sense about the sentiments in the Seam or mines lately, although it's no stretch to assume people are angry and frustrated, as this crowd seems to be confirming.

To her relief, she sees Gale standing off to the side, safely away from the thick of the action. He's observing the scene with a hostile, intent expression and Madge knows he'll understand her anger so she pulls him aside for a whispered rant.

But he's surprisingly unsympathetic, listening to her story with crossed arms and the same sour look on his face he was wearing while watching the Peacekeepers. "So you and your father are the reason Parcel Day is ruined?"

"_No_, the Capitol is. We were trying to distract them from Orey and Jed. Which, so far, we have."

"It sounds like it was unnecessary," Gale says coldly. "You can't play by their rules when they make all the rules, Madge."

"But it was my fault Orey and Jed got caught. I couldn't let anything worse happen to them. And Gale, those guards who caught us in the Justice Building? They were demoted and whipped, or worse, I don't even know. But that was our fault, too."

"So? They work for the Capitol. They deserve whatever they get. And Orey and Jed would have been fine." He glares at her and she's a little alarmed by his lack of concern over other people, including his own friends.

"By the way," he adds, "thanks for checking with me before turning over the last of our parcels to the Capitol."

"_Our_ parcels? I'm sorry, I missed where you had anything to do with those parcels. Were you the one modifying the databases?" She's already in a foul mood and Gale is making her feel worse.

Gale makes a scornful snorting noise. "You wouldn't have done any of that if it wasn't for me."

_That's it._ Madge doesn't know why she's even talking to him and spins to leave.

He catches her by the arm. "Wait." She thinks he's going to apologize — that's what any normal person would do after being such an ass — but instead he says, "We need to give _our_ medicine to Katniss' mom. See how I'm checking with you?"

"Fine. Feel free," she says, pulling her arm back. "You know where it is."

He scowls at her, silently acknowledging he can't get into the cemetery shed or her bedroom closet.

"People need the medicine now," he says with less hostility. "You're in your castle away from it all, but believe me, it'll go quickly once you get it to Katniss' mom. She's out of nearly everything. Don't let it expire or go to waste the way the last of the parcels did."

Madge hesitates, as what he's saying starts to sink in. "Are you sure?" It's unsettling to see Gale giving up hope of a rebellion. To her, he _is_ the District 12 rebellion. She needs him to keep believing, even when it seems hopeless...

"I had to sell the Ruminic," he admits quietly, looking regretfully at the angry crowd. "Rory signed up for tesserae."

"Oh." She feels the last of her frustration with him melt. He's being a jerk because he feels defeated. It hurts her to see him like this, and she knows how desperately he wanted to avoid his siblings having to sign up for tesserae. "Do you need anything?" She asks hesitantly.

As expected, she gets a glare in response, but it's not as venomous as the previous ones and, well, too bad if he's offended: she had to ask. "I need a lot of things," he mutters quietly. "Real weapons. The electricity in the fence to be shut off. To not have Peacekeepers with machine guns on all the buildings out here… But, no, we're fine. I'm working again and Katniss got Haymitch to hire my mom." He sighs and looks at the ground. "Rory's going to have seven entries this year."

Madge can't picture Gale's skinny little brother (probably destined to stay skinny the way this year is going) fighting and killing in the Hunger Games. At all. Or what it might feel like to have to watch from home…

"That's more entries than I'll have," she calculates aloud, horrified that Gale's kid brother now has a higher probability of being reaped than she does. She stares at the oversize banner of Panem's seal rippling in the wind along the walls of the Justice Building. The seal itself is sinister, but the rhythmic movement of the fabric is strangely mesmerizing and lulls her into a trance-like nightmare as she keeps thinking about the upcoming reaping. "This year will be a Quarter Quell so who knows what new horror they'll come up with… It might not be a normal reaping. For my aunt's Games during the second Quell, they took double the number of tributes. Maybe they'll go for triple this year since it will be the third Quell… Maybe something totally twisted in a different way…"

She feels the sinking sensation of failure. Was it really just half year ago that she and Gale vowed to stop this from happening again? Right on this very square… They had both been so hopeful that they had enough time to figure a way out of this. She doesn't know what they could have done differently, though…

"I keep forgetting you have to be in the reaping, too," Gale says haltingly. Madge glances back at him and immediately regrets bringing up the Quarter Quell; he looks so beleaguered, like all his worries are aging him prematurely.

Madge smiles sadly. "Disappointed my efforts haven't been 100% selfless?"

"Please, Madge," he says, rolling his eyes with a hint of a smile. "You're the most principle-motivated person I've ever known."

She guesses that's a compliment, but is mostly just glad to see him calmer, apparently finished acting like a jerk. She pats his arm comfortingly. "I'll take the medicine in my room to Mrs. Everdeen tonight."

He laces his fingers through hers on the hand on his arm and squeezes gently, holding her gaze. It's a surprisingly intimate gesture and Madge wishes they weren't standing on the town square so she could find out for sure if there's anything more behind that squeeze or that look he's giving her. But then she remembers her long history of misinterpreting everything he does so she just softly squeezes back and pulls herself away so she can return to the Justice Building to see what else she can do to make up for the ruined parcels.

* * *

**A/N:** Some philosophical differences brewing?

So, I was going to post this chapter a couple of days ago, but thanks to a snowstorm and a subsequent power outage I've been without electricity until today. It's irritating to not have internet or light, but it's messed up to not have heat _during a snowstorm_. I have even more sympathy now for the Seam residents and their sporadic electricity issues… (Yeah, I'm that shallow to compare my two-day power outage to the characters' abject poverty. Or maybe I'm just still cold.)

Thanks for everyone sticking with this story, and mad props to everyone who's been reviewing and supporting me, especially IsForWinners, Beware of the Nargles, roj, epipole, and TheNerdiBarbieDoll for their loyal reviews. :) Only a few more chapters until the Quarter Quell starts...


	16. Chapter 16

Part 16

Gale paces the Everdeen living room so quickly he keeps twisting the carpet whenever he swivels. Katniss is still missing, having vanished right after the announcement about the Quarter Quell. Right after her death sentence.

She hadn't been at Peeta's or Haymitch's houses. Haymitch, already drunk, told them not to bother looking for her, that she'd come back when she got hungry "like a stray cat," and then had started cackling like he'd told the cleverest joke ever. Peeta had been at Haymitch's house, but immediately joined their search, stoically focused on trying to locate Katniss and not giving off any hints about his own reaction to the news. If Peeta is the one in the arena with her, Gale suspects he'll do everything he can to protect her… He isn't as confident in Haymitch, whose only skills seem to be drinking and making snarky comments (Haymitch only ever calls Gale "Cuz" lately, leaving Gale even less inclined than usual to tolerate him).

They searched, without success, all over the Seam and the little pockets of wooded areas scattered throughout the district, eventually returning to Katniss' house. To Gale's relief, Peeta had decided to wait at his own house. Gale sure wasn't going anywhere and he didn't exactly relish the idea of sitting in the Everdeens' living room with Peeta, unclear on whether he should be hating him or not.

Not that he's sitting. He can't be still; the horror of Katniss having to return to the arena – fighting bloodthirsty _other victors_? – is all consuming. Worst of all, her being in this situation his fault: she knew the Capitol was trying to punish her and wanted to run away, but he fouled that up by convincing her to stay. And for what? All his uprising plans have died. Well, they could leave now, head out into the mountains away from this nightmare. Because it's clear the Capitol isn't going to leave her alone, no matter what she does.

Gale hears a banging sound on the porch, and when he opens the door he finds Katniss tripping up the stairs, holding a liquor bottle. Her hair is wild, matted with knots and debris, and when he glimpses her face through the tangles it's obvious she's been crying. He rushes to prop her up and launches into his plea to flee the district, but she refuses, spilling the liquor and collapsing into a sorry little pile on the porch.

It's terrifying, seeing Katniss out of control like this, a reminder of how much of her the Capitol has destroyed... But right now she needs to sleep this off.

"Let's get you upstairs, Catnip," he says steadily as he picks her up and carries her to her bedroom. Just before he sets her down, she starts making choking sounds and throws up. Gale's no stranger to vomit, thanks to the charms of his siblings, and limits his reaction to gratitude that at least the mess only landed on their clothes, rather than her bed.

"Here, I'll get her cleaned up," Mrs. Everdeen murmurs, moving to separate Katniss from her puked-on clothes while Gale numbly removes himself to the hallway, where he finds Prim crying silently on the floor. She looks up at him with puffy, red eyes and Gale can't believe the Capitol is subjecting this little girl to this torture again.

Sniffling, Prim stands up and walks to a closet, where she pulls out a blanket and hands it to Gale. "You can wear this, I'll wash your shirt."

"Don't bother, it's nothing."

"That's gross," she rejects, pushing the blanket at Gale again. "It won't take long."

So Gale obliges and ends up clad in a large, soft plaid blanket. After Mrs. Everdeen gets Katniss cleaned up and into bed, she instructs Prim and Gale on how to watch her breathing to make sure she doesn't choke if she vomits again, and then disappears to add Katniss' clothes to the laundry and clean up the mess downstairs.

Prim and Gale pull chairs into Katniss' room and sit in the dark watching Katniss sleep. Unsurprisingly, it's not a restful sleep: her eyebrows are so scrunched she looks like she's glaring and her jaw muscles are clenched so tight the muscles bulge. She also makes gasping noises every once in a while, causing Prim to flinch and clutch the vomit bucket in case it's needed. In her undershirt and bedraggled state, Gale thinks Katniss looks every inch of the angry, tormented girl she is, forced into situations no one should have to face.

The chimes on the front door downstairs jangle softly, followed moments later by Peeta's appearance in the doorway, looking pained as he takes in Katniss' condition. A few seconds later he looks over at Prim and Gale and shakes his head.

"Maybe I'll save the Capitol the trouble and kill Haymitch myself."

Despite the awfulness of the situation, Gale smirks slightly; it sounds like a good plan to him.

Peeta holds out a shirt to Gale. "Katniss' mom said you got hit."

Gale hesitates. He doesn't want to wear Peeta Mellark's clothes, but sitting around in a blanket is worse.

"Thanks," he finally says, pulling the shirt on and leaving to put the blanket away. The clothes are made of softer fabric than Gale is used to, but the fit isn't too bad – Gale is taller but Peeta is a little broader – and it's better than a blanket.

When he returns to Katniss' room, Peeta is sitting on the bed next to her, smoothing wisps of hair out of her face. The change in her features is striking: her face is relaxed now and she's clutching Peeta's other hand the way Posy holds Mr. Bunny, which gives Gale an unwelcome flashback to the cave scenes from the Hunger Games so he automatically averts his eyes. He sits down in his chair next to Prim and focuses on the lump under the covers where Katniss' feet are, wondering why he hadn't thought to sit on her bed instead of the chair and if it would have made a difference to Katniss.

"Peeta," Prim whispers. "What are you guys going to do?"

Peeta takes in a deep breath and shifts so he's facing Gale and Prim. "I'm going. Haymitch is better as a mentor. And he owes me because he picked Katniss to save last time."

Gale flinches, thinking for a second that Peeta is saying Haymitch should save him. But of course Peeta means to sacrifice himself for Katniss again, for real this time, with no hope of last minute hijinx with poisonous berries to save them both. Despite Gale wanting this - Katniss to survive - actually thinking that that means Peeta's death (as well as what that would do to Katniss) is almost unimaginably terrible.

Gale notices a tear slide down Prim's cheek and sits up so he can redirect the conversation away from this morbidity. "You guys can train this time," he tells Peeta. "It's still months away."

Peeta nods. "That's what I was thinking. We'll be like the Careers. Haymitch knows most of the victors — another reason he wouldn't be good in the arena — so we can study them in advance… There's a lot we can do between now and then."

"Staying busy will help," Gale agrees, thinking of how helpless he felt watching the Games last year and how taking up that collection with Madge helped him keep his sanity.

"So will staying sober," Peeta says, narrowing his eyes. "I'm going to have some words with Haymitch tomorrow."

"Good luck with that." Gale suspects Haymitch is beyond sobriety.

"My mom and I can teach you guys first aid," Prim says, emerging from her daze. "Things that would help no matter how bad the supplies are."

"And I can teach you about snares," Gale offers. "I know some Katniss doesn't."

"Thanks," Peeta says with a nod.

They fall into a silence, broken occasionally by Katniss shifting in her sleep, which causes Prim to go on alert. But Katniss usually ends up twisting in ways that result in her wrapping herself more and more around Peeta. When Peeta tries to release himself she makes impatient noises, so he finally gives up and pushes himself so he's sitting upright lengthwise on her bed.

Gale pretends to doze off so he doesn't have to watch Katniss unconsciously trying to snuggle Peeta. He wants to leave, but he doesn't want to disturb anyone or draw attention to his discomfort. They're the ones facing death in the arena for a second time, and as much as Gale feels like he lived the Games along with Katniss last time, he wasn't the one in the arena. He's still just a powerless spectator, which stirs familiar feelings of anger and helplessness.

Fake sleeping turns into real sleeping, and Gale wakes up some time later with a crick in his neck from the chair. It's still pitch black outside, with no sign of morning. Prim is slumped in her chair, barely holding on to the pail, and Katniss and Peeta have curled into a knot that makes Gale's stomach feel hollow. He can't look, and he can't disrupt whatever comfort they're getting from one another. An involuntary spike of bitterness pierces his chest: Katniss throws up on him and cuddles Peeta. At least her subconscious is clear on who she wants, even if the waking Katniss can't think about it. He shouldn't be thinking about it either, and hates himself a little for his pettiness in the face of so many more serious matters.

Deciding that Peeta is competent to monitor Katniss' sleep, Gale gently sets the pail next to the bed and scoops up Prim to deposit her in her own room. She wakes up briefly, but he just murmurs that Katniss is fine and Peeta is watching her, which seems to satisfy Prim because she lets herself be tucked in.

Gale blearily makes his way downstairs, where he finds Mrs. Everdeen asleep on the couch, with some sort of sad tune softly rippling out of the speaker from the stereo across the room. He leaves the music on, but he finds a blanket and covers her up before walking into the bitter, dark night.

#

Gale's mother informs him that Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta have started a rigorous training regimen that includes a lot of running, obstacle courses, and weapons work. So on his first free day, Gale heads over to the Victor's Village to offer his assistance.

He finds all three of them at the dining room table in Katniss' house, joined – to Gale's surprise – by Madge. Peeta is writing in a notebook while Madge reads aloud from a newspaper and Haymitch and Katniss pretend to listen. Gale hasn't seen Madge in weeks, and feels his pulse quicken when he spots her – maybe they can figure out a way to get Katniss and Peeta out of the Quell. If he can talk to Madge away from the surveillance, surely they could come up with a plan…

Katniss spots Gale first, and jumps up to greet him. "You made it. Your mom said you were still on the seven-day schedule."

"We are, but we got out early so they could clear a collapsed tunnel. No, nobody was in it." He sees Katniss' alarm subside, but in truth the managers have been sending crews into less and less stable areas lately, and it was just luck that no one was in the tunnel that collapsed that morning. "What's going on?"

Peeta's pen is still poised over his paper, like he's hoping Gale's arrival won't be an actual interruption, but with his free arm he waves a curt greeting. Madge, on the other hand, sets the newspaper down and smiles at Gale, watching him with the same expectant expression he's seen on her so many times, as though she assumes his mere presence improves any situation.

Haymitch leans his head back and complains to the ceiling. "Mr. Drill Sergeant Baker here is obsessed with sussing out every known or speculated fact about every past victor, and Little Miss Accomplice happens to have a subscription to the gossip rag that exists for that very purpose. It's a match made in heaven." He shoots a salacious wink at Gale. "But it's my own personal hell."

Peeta sighs. "She's almost to the end. Keep going, Madge."

Madge looks between Peeta and Haymitch, and then glances at Gale, but he makes sure to stare at the table instead of meeting her eyes, registering in those few seconds that she's become more of a problem than he previously understood. She's wearing that fuzzy blue sweater he likes – his theory is that she hasn't realized she's slightly outgrown it because it clings in all the right places more than her other sweaters and sometimes, depending on what she's doing, it exposes a sliver of skin on her midriff – and he _can't believe_ he's catalogued all of that about a piece of her clothing.

He needs to clear his head and put an end to these types of thoughts. She's a distraction from the task he's here for: helping Katniss and Peeta prepare for the next round of hell. Once he's himself again, outside and away from the surveillance, he can talk to her about stopping the Quarter Quell. He turns to Katniss. "Anything we can work on outside?"

"We can get set up," Katniss says, eyeing Peeta as he impatiently flips through the notebook. "I'll show you where all the gear is."

They walk behind the house to a little wooded area where there's a target set up next to a pile of weapons and hunting tools. Katniss sits down next to the pile and Gale helps her disentangle the ropes while she tells him about Peeta's research into the other victors. She echoes Haymitch's comments about how fanatical Peeta is and admits she's not sure she sees the point. "Even if we know everything about them, they could still surprise us. They're _victors_."

"True. But it makes him feel like he some control over a situation where, face it, you don't have any."

"Like all this training."

"Right," Gale agrees. After freeing one of the ropes, he reaches for another. "It helps to feel like you're doing something, no matter how insignificant. Like last year when Madge and I took up that collection during the Games. Whatever we raised was pitiful compared to the sponsors in the Capitol, but it made us feel better to work on it, and it made people feel better to contribute. It's hard to not do anything other than sit and watch the horror on a TV screen."

Katniss is looking at him quizzically. "You and Madge collected money for us? For a sponsorship?"

Gale nods, realizing he's never mentioned this and apparently, neither has Madge or anyone else. "I think it went toward some food." He tries to stay vague to avoid saying it was for Katniss and Peeta's romantic dinner in the cave, a fact that still grates.

"I didn't know that," Katniss says slowly. "Nobody told me."

"We weren't doing it for recognition. We just wanted to get you out of there alive."

"_You_ never told me," Katniss says and he hears a hint of accusation in her tone, whether she means for it to be there or not.

"When did I even get to talk to you when you first got back?" He labors to keep his tone neutral instead of bitter, but he hopes reminding her of her apparent abandonment of him will close the topic.

It does, and they sort through the supplies in silence for a few minutes. Then he asks Katniss how their training is coming along and she complains about what bad shape Haymitch is in and how hard a time he's giving Peeta. "He's mostly mad Peeta threw away all his liquor and said he'd turn us in if we tried to get any from Ripper."

"Good for Peeta," Gale grins, mentally giving Peeta a pat on the back. Apparently Peeta's 'talk' to Haymitch was more of a raid. Then he adds, "Actually, I think Ripper is back in the stocks."

"Is she?" Katniss looks disgusted and he knows she's just as angry as he is about the continued security crackdown. Gale updates her about what the other Hob regulars have been able to get away with, feeling for a few minutes like they're prepping for a hunt in the forest the way they used to. But then reality intrudes as Peeta and Haymitch join them.

"What's first?" Peeta asks, all business.

Katniss leans slightly to look behind him. "Did Madge go home?"

"Yeah. Said she had to help her father with the next round of relocations because another squad of Peacekeepers is arriving tomorrow. Cheery task. So, something with ropes?"

"Knots," Gale answers, frustrated that he won't get to talk to Madge and that her departure seems intended to convey the pointlessness of any kind of intervention in the Quarter Quell. The number of Peacekeepers in the district is absurd. And, admittedly, an effective deterrent. Although maybe if he doesn't see Madge for a while, he'll stop thinking about her the way he has been…

"I want to learn how to make a better noose," Haymitch announces darkly. "Can you show me that, sweetheart? Might make the rest of this training less painful."

Katniss rolls her eyes at Haymitch. "Gale is going to show us the best knots for trip wires between trees. No nooses."

#

Armed with a stopwatch, Madge times Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch as they run laps around the Victor's Village lawn. Katniss finishes first, as usual, but Peeta is close behind, while Haymitch follows significantly later, wheezing as he jogs and appearing dangerously close to throwing up. She's helping them train during a mid-week session, when she's sure Gale will be at work and she won't have to pretend it doesn't bother her that he ignores her.

Well, he doesn't completely ignore her — he'll chat with her if they're both waiting while the others are training, usually to verify that there's absolutely nothing they could be doing to stop Katniss and Peeta from having to fight in the Quarter Quell. But he's more formal — uncharacteristically polite — and always stands a few feet away from her, which feels unnaturally far and makes her realize that she's used to being either in contact with him or only inches apart because of all the whispering and sneaking around they usually do. More than a few times she's caught him looking at her from a distance, but he smoothly averts his eyes whenever he notices her gazing back. The end result is that she feels even lonelier than when she's at home by herself. Plus, she has no idea what's going on between Katniss and Peeta or Katniss and Gale; everybody seems 100% platonic and focused on training, not inclined in the slightest to discuss fake engagements or fake cousins. Then she invariably feels guilty for even thinking about these types of things when Katniss and Peeta are facing near-certain death in the arena, so she banishes the thoughts as best she can.

"Better," Madge says encouragingly to Katniss and Peeta, who improved by several seconds each. She kneels on the grass to mark the times in Peeta's training log. "Good job. Again?"

Peeta shakes his head. "Trees. Let's see if we can get higher today."

"You kids have fun," Haymitch says. "I'm sitting this one out." He collapses into a sweaty heap on the grass next to Madge, who scoots over a few inches to avoid having sweat splash onto her clothes. "Little Miss Stopwatch here will keep me company."

Peeta looks irritated at Haymitch's unscheduled break, but Katniss gently tugs the front of his shirt and says Haymitch can join in the next round of exercises.

"We'll be back in a few minutes," Katniss tells Madge. "Don't annoy her," she warns Haymitch. Katniss and Peeta jog over to the wooded area, where within seconds Katniss effortlessly pulls herself into the lower limbs of a tree.

Haymitch lies back in the grass and groans. "My advice to the young: don't get old." Madge doesn't think _age_ is his problem and watches warily as he props himself up on his elbows to assess her. "So. Little Miss Mini-Mayor. How's the Mama Mayor these days?"

"The same, I guess."

"That good, huh? Well, at least she's got morphling. When she's not donating it to the needy." He gives Madge a knowing glance, but she looks away. Didn't Katniss tell him not to annoy her? Would it be unforgivably rude if she excused herself and just left him here on the grass? She hears her mother's voice say '_Yes_.'

"You've been pretty busy lately, from what I hear," Haymitch continues, apparently unconcerned with Madge's lack of enthusiasm for conversing with him. "Roaming around the Seam, getting caught in the Justice Building with Katniss' beloved cousin…"

"Do you and my mom just sit around and gossip?" Madge asks, fairly rudely, she'll admit, but politeness is wasted on Haymitch anyway.

He just laughs. "I have eyes and ears all over. You're the one who's new to the underbelly of the district, Little Miss-"

"I'm not a Little Miss Anything," Madge cuts him off.

"Whatever you say, Princess. I just need to know what you've been up to."

"Why don't you ask my mom?"

Haymitch sighs impatiently and then speaks in a more serious tone. "Listen. Normally I could care less about who you're sneaking around with, but I'm in charge of those two tree-climbing monkeys over there and when your business intersects with my business, I need to know where things stand. Because that boy in the tree is doing everything he can to make sure he dies and she doesn't so she can come home to her fake cousin. And if that fake cousin turns out to be a phony about more than just who he says he's related to, I think we'd all be pretty disappointed not to have known that beforehand. Not that either of those tree-climbing fools would be doing anything differently, but I have to make decisions for them in the arena and I like to have all the facts."

"He's not a phony, he loves her," Madge says by reflex. She's highly aware of how low she ranks in Gale's universe, and has no doubt she's miles below Katniss. Then, suspecting her answer isn't good enough in light of what her mother has probably told Haymitch and what he saw himself on the day of the whipping, she adds, "We were doing something else in the Justice Building and needed a cover story when we got caught."

Haymitch eyes Madge appraisingly and sits up all the way. "Something where your _preference_ was getting caught in a compromising situation…" He laughs for a second. "I'd suspected but thought there was no way… Well. You're gutsier than you look."

Madge wonders if getting her to admit her illegal activities was what he wanted to know all along, since like he said, it's obvious Katniss and Peeta are both trying to ensure the other one comes home. And everyone knows Katniss is the more formidable force between the two of them, the more likely to get her way in the arena… Which is honestly too horrifying to even think about, so Madge focuses instead on Haymitch's craftiness and is caught off guard by his next comment.

"Your aunt was also pretty plucky despite looking like a little blond wisp."

She freezes at the possibility of hearing something about Aunt Maysilee. "My mom doesn't talk about her," she says, plucking a blade of grass from the ground and twirling it in her finger, willing Haymitch to tell her more.

"I don't either," he says sharply, apparently forgetting he was the one who brought her up. He shifts positions and shakes his head as though he can't believe something. "So your mother actually _was_ justified in all that griping about Mr. Beloved Cousin. She was so concerned he was making you think about all the _unfairness_ and _injustices_ in the world."

Madge doesn't appreciate his patronizing tone and is a little surprised to hear that her mother's problem with Gale wasn't primarily that he was poor... "I thought she was just worried I'd want to get married and move to the Seam. Which was stupid." For so, so many reasons, not the least of which being Gale's lack of interest.

"There was a little of that," he admits with a chuckle. "But the type of corrupting she was most worried about was of the philosophical variety, not the physical kind. Even more hazardous for your health than the Seam."

Madge thinks about how upset her mother has been that her father helped her sneak the extra parcels out of the Justice Building and how he's been including her in more of his deceptions of the Capitol. And about all the stuff she's done that, as far as she knows, her parents are still unaware of. Getting caught for any of that, yes, admittedly, would be hazardous to her well-being. Still…

"Well," she says, "I'm glad I know more about what life is like for everyone in the district, not just the people my parents invite over for dinner. Or for gossip sessions in the backyard," she can't resist adding.

Haymitch ignores her dig. "She has a point, though. If Redwell gets wind of what you're up to, or even if she just decides for no reason that your father is getting out of line, you realize you're a ripe target? Been hearing a lot about an 'amazing opportunity' training program in the Capitol? They'd love to get their claws into you and start the brainwashing early, or at least use you as a bargaining chip."

"Simon warned me," Madge shoots back before realizing she shouldn't have given Simon away. "I mean, someone told me."

Haymitch merely nods calmly, gazing over to the woods where Katniss is pointing out good limbs to Peeta. "Redwell's newest lackey? Maybe he's not a waste of space after all. It's about time someone told you."

Madge agrees with that sentiment, but is oddly offended that Haymitch is critiquing her parents when he's known about the threat the whole time – he could have told her, if he didn't operate by the Haymitch Code of apparently only caring about people to the extent they affect his tributes. Plus, she's the only one entitled to criticize her parents.

"I guess they've been trying to protect me," she defends.

"They have no plan," he condemns, turning to face her with a fiercer expression than she's ever seen on him before, looking like the kind of person who could have won a Hunger Games… "Your idiot father is kidding himself if he thinks they're going to leave you alone. Look what they did to your mother!"

"What?" Madge hears her voice drop an octave. "What do you mean?"

"You think those headaches are natural?"

Madge gasps. "Dr. Hudson? Did he do something to her?"

"That quack just makes sure she's still as destroyed as they left her and reports back to them." Haymitch sounds like he might choke he's so disgusted and doesn't speak for a few moments, but apparently anticipates Madge's next question. "I don't know the details — it's not her favorite topic to rehash and you know how she prefers to 'gloss over the unpleasant' — but it happened the last time you all visited the Capitol. You were probably too young to remember. They somehow rewired her brain to be trigger-happy for headaches."

Madge focuses on a patch of daisies on the grass so she won't keel over in horror. _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale…_ The daisies look improbably clean and innocent in a world that's becoming increasingly tainted... Somewhere she finds her voice and manages to ask, "Why would they do that to her?"

"Standard coercion to manipulate your father, I assume. He was embarrassingly idealistic when he was first appointed. Probably what your mother saw in him and why she's so worried about the beloved cousin… Your old man wasn't fully on board with the Capitol's agenda when he became mayor. He got rid of tesserae one year, ordered shorter working hours and safety improvements in the mines, which cut into productivity… They must have decided they needed a way to control him."

Madge suddenly remembers Simon's comment at the Harvest Festival about needing 'additional' leverage against her father; she realizes with a jolt that her mother was the original leverage and she's the additional leverage.

"And now they want to do that to me? Give me headaches?"

"You'd be lucky if you got away with headaches," Haymitch says darkly. When Madge looks at him for elaboration he mutters, "Don't ask."

Of course that makes Madge start imagining all the horrible things the Capitol could do to her. Give her some kind of other disease? Kill her? And then what the Capitol did to her mother starts to sink in. How much debilitating pain has her mother had to endure because of those headaches? And her father must feel like it's his fault, which is a different type of torture… Madge feels a stab of guilt at her ongoing resentment about her mother's condition, and how her own behavior lately has no doubt been making her mother's headaches worse.

Hot tears overflow and she hastily wipes her eyes while Haymitch watches her in obvious discomfort. In her peripheral vision, Madge notices Katniss and Peeta walking back over to them so she quickly stands up, not wanting to have to explain her tears.

"Tell them I had to go home," she chokes, and starts walking away.

Haymitch pulls himself up as well. "Mays…" He winces and starts over. "Madge. Go easy on them for not telling you. They still think you're the little brat in pigtails who used to smear mud on the furniture."

It's oddly the sweetest thing Haymitch has ever said to her, indicating some kind of awareness of her childhood like a distant relative. She nodes mutely and starts walking home.

* * *

**A/N:** Gross, huh? And poor Madge, not being able to imagine the actual worst things the Capitol could do (not having had the benefit of having read Mockingjay, like all of us) (I'm still traumatized, btw).

The sponsorship collection Gale and Madge worked on is a little liberty with canon I took in the prequel fic. I wanted them to have a project together so I stretched SC's idea about Greasy Sae heading up a Hob collection.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - Butterfingers13, EStrunk, VanillaMostly, the bauble, roj, epipole, IsForWinners, Beware of the Nargles, and TheNerdiBarbieDoll. I really appreciating hearing what people think. And thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, reading, adding story alerts, etc. - I appreciate you all too. :)


	17. Chapter 17

Part 17

After her conversation with Haymitch, Madge tearfully walks home, his words echoing painfully in her ears: the Capitol had 'rewired' her mother's brain to be 'trigger happy for headaches.' When she walks in the kitchen door, she finds her mother and Lulu peering into the pantry, collaborating on the week's shopping list.

Mrs. Undersee immediately notices her daughter's tears. "Sweetie? What's wrong?"

Madge walks straight into her mother's arms and hugs her. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I've been so horrible… I didn't know…"

"Sweetie, what are you talking about?"

Madge speaks so quietly into her mother's blouse she doubts her mother hears. "Haymitch told me what they did to you."

Evidently, her mother did hear because Madge feels her inhale sharply and freeze. After a few moments, her mother pats Madge's back soothingly. "Don't worry, Madge," she says in a normal volume, clearly for the benefit of the surveillance. "Mothers and daughters have these types of disagreements all the time."

Mrs. Undersee steers Madge to a kitchen chair and immediately writes a note that she hands to Lulu, who reads it, nods, and departs. Next Mrs. Undersee pulls a picnic basket from the pantry, tosses some bread into it, and leads Madge by the hand out the back door.

When they're in the backyard, Mrs. Undersee lets go and takes a deep breath. "You know you need to be more careful in the house, Madge."

Madge feels too numb to get worked up. "Are we going somewhere?"

"The park. For a picnic. Lulu's telling your father to meet us there."

She mutely follows her mother along the path to the park, no idea what to say. How can they even converse about something so horrifying?

"_Damn_ that Haymitch," Mrs. Undersee mutters. "I thought he'd stopped drinking. Temporarily, at least."

"He wasn't drunk. I was helping them train. We were talking and he warned me about the Capitol's training program. At least someone did," she accuses, but immediately wants to claw her words back because her mother doesn't need Madge being any more of a brat than she already has been.

Her mother sighs. "We'd never have sent you. And you didn't seem interested so you were convincing on your own."

"Until I started working in Dad's office." Madge is acutely aware of having brought this particular hardship on herself by manipulating her parents into letting her start the so-called internship as an excuse to keep plotting a rebellion. What an idiot she was. What idiots they were for withholding crucial information… If she'd known threats of bodily harm lay behind the Capitol's attempts to get her into that program or that they'd done this to her mother, she wouldn't have gone anywhere near it. They're a family of idiots.

"So how am I going to get out of enrolling?"

"Uncle Dusty and Aunt Perri are an option."

Madge remembers Haymitch's condemnation that her parents had no plan and has to agree. "Hoping you can ship me off to relatives doesn't seem like a fool-proof strategy. If Secretary Redwell wants me, why would she let me escape to them?"

Her mother doesn't have a response, confirming Madge's worry — planted by Haymitch — that for all their efforts at 'protecting' her, her parents haven't come up with a better plan.

"This is why I didn't want you attracting that awful Redwell's attention by getting more involved in your father's activities," her mother says wearily.

"What was I supposed to do? If I didn't have any job, she'd use that as a reason to recruit me."

"We hoped you would find a job in town you liked. Although there haven't been any openings anywhere decent… Or we hoped you would show some interest in getting married. To someone appropriate," she qualifies. "Oh honey, don't give me that look. You know as well as anyone that the Seam is a slow death sentence. A nice merchant, on the other hand… Only you were horrible to that Mellark boy. Goodness knows my life would have been easier if I'd married a merchant."

Madge bristles at the harshness of her mother's comment, which Mrs. Undersee seems to realize because she adds, "Of course, love isn't convenient. I'm merely saying it would have been easier…"

They reach the park and sit down at a picnic table, where Mrs. Undersee arranges the basket to look like they're casually dining. "Madge, we love you more than anything and only want what's best for you. It's this awful world we live in… The president is a criminal, an absolute menace, manipulating and controlling the entire country by preying on everything that's good in people's hearts. But having no one left to love isn't better — look at Haymitch. They murdered his family to control him and I wouldn't call him better off… They've designed a 'no win' world."

_Haymitch's family had been killed?_ Madge can barely process the news. Should she be grateful that her family has only been damaged rather than killed off? How can these things even happen? She silently unsays all the insulting, rude things she's thought about Haymitch over the years and thinks to herself that her mother's friendship with Haymitch makes more sense — it's not just that they both suffered when Aunt Maysilee was killed – they've continued to suffer due to the sick manipulations of the president and those he directs. Madge can't even blame her mother for feeling so defeated… she's starting to feel trapped and defeated herself.

Madge looks up and sees her father approaching, a worried expression on his face. He sits down next to Madge's mother and asks urgently, "What is it, Mar?"

"Haymitch," she answers flatly. "He told Madge about the surgery."

Madge's father puts his arm around his wife and looks across the table at Madge. "Button, I know you don't like when we don't tell you everything, but this… is a whole separate category..."

"Talking about it makes it seem more real," Madge's mother adds weakly. "I keep hoping my body will repair itself, but…"

"Do they do this to all the mayors?" Madge asks quietly. "Everyone who works for them?" She thinks of how haunted Simon seems below his smarmy exterior and wonders what they did to him…

"Many of the mayors," her father concedes. "In some form or another. Though most don't talk about it because it would translate into more suffering for their families."

"We thought we could improve life here," Madge's mother explains, bitterness creeping into her voice. "Reforms that honestly just seemed like common sense: governing based improving the welfare of the citizens rather than squeezing productivity out of them until they dropped dead. It was gradual and we were successful for several years, but as you got older we had to face you having to participate in the reapings…" Her mother trails off and her father picks up.

"I made the mistake at the annual mayors' meeting of suggesting enough time had passed since the Dark Days that perhaps it was time to stop holding the Hunger Games," Mayor Undersee says, glancing at her mother. "I grew up in a Career district and hadn't truly realized how devastating the Games are on a personal level until I met your mother…" He sounds ashamed and reaches to hold his wife's hand. "Our tributes were volunteers, so it never occurred to me to worry about being reaped, and because of my family's position I had other options. But here in 12, even the privileged were still vulnerable…

"Obviously, my suggestion was not well received. When I got back to our hotel on the final day of the conference, your mother wasn't in our room. A lower level staff person was watching you, Madge, and told me your mother had decided to go to a clinic to have a mole on her arm removed. Of course I knew that was false, but nobody would give me a straight answer about where she was or when she would return. A group of masked medical attendants brought her back to our room in the middle of the night, still drugged. When she woke up the next morning, she had a migraine so severe… Well, you're familiar."

Madge knows what he's talking about: the headaches that are so bad her mother vomits from the pain and eventually either passes out naturally or takes enough morphling to do the job. It's a relief for not just her mother but for everyone around her when she finally succumbs to unconsciousness because it means she's no longer vocalizing – hauntingly – the pain.

"We couldn't even leave the City for a week because she was too damaged to travel," her father continues. "We visited any clinic where I could get an appointment, but none of the doctors could figure it out.

"The mayor of Eight finally told me what was going on, since the same thing had happened to his predecessor's husband. It was intended to be a warning to get in line with the president's agenda. As an enticement, they would hold out the possibility of a treatment to reverse the condition. And sure enough, the president invited me to a meeting at the end of the week to make the terms clear. With one additional condition: that there would be no need to target you, Madge, if we cooperated.

"Since then, we've tried to minimize damage. You were four at the time and we decided acquiescence was our only option. You can't vanish once you're on the Capitol's radar. I've tried to find subtle ways to improve our lot here in Twelve, but as you've seen, it can never be enough."

"I always wanted more children," Mrs. Undersee says sadly. "But with the reapings continuing and the Capitol following through on threats, we didn't want to give them any more ammunition. I don't know if my body could have handled a pregnancy, anyway." She closes her eyes, intense sadness passing over her features. "You don't know how terrifying it's been waiting to see if they'd try to take you away from us, sweetie. We've been hoping they would just let you have a quiet life here."

"You haven't done anything differently," Madge points out. "So why are they pressuring me to join the program now?"

Her father looks uncomfortable. "They're suspicious of our district for producing people like your friends who won the last Games. Rightly so, I suppose, since I've been purposefully lax about security in favor of letting people have a shot at survival. Katniss Everdeen and her poacher friend who you've been enamored with are perfect examples — emboldened by years of getting away with breaking rules here and there until they finally start breaking the bigger rules." He raises his eyebrows at Madge. "And influencing people like you along the way."

She ignores his implication; it doesn't matter. "Why couldn't you resign as mayor and do something else?"

"Their web is so complete, there are no escape routes. What would happen to your mother without the painkillers? We can't even travel without the Capitol's authorization. This is the ideal situation for them: they have the most effective form of control over this district possible. They don't even need to worry about me challenging them. Not only because I want to protect you and your mother, but because I don't want any additional harm to come to our citizens."

Madge frowns at the table. "What am I supposed to do if the Secretary starts pressuring me about the program again? Dusty and Perri don't sound like a realistic escape option," she says bluntly. "And if I did disappear, wouldn't they just take it out on both of you and the district? And Dusty and Perri, too?"

Her father purses his lips and nods. "In all likelihood, yes. As unpleasant as it may seem to you, Madge, some lower level post in the Capitol may actually be the best outcome if they continue to pressure you. We haven't wanted to poison you against that possibility. If you could find a job that was primarily technical, it might not be so bad. Uncle Dusty is an engineer and Aunt Perri purposefully took a lower level position so they could avoid the kind of… issues that might make them uncomfortable. But the Secretary hasn't asked about you recently, and I'm optimistic that we may be able to sell her on your value here."

Madge doesn't like what she's hearing and feels the knot in her stomach tighten. Her parents' 'plan' seems to entail hoping for the best from an organization that's only ever delivered the worst – and then some.

Mayor Undersee looks at his watch and apologizes, saying he has to get back to work, and that they'll talk more about this as soon as possible. Madge walks back home with her mother, helps her get to bed — the stress of the past hour is causing a headache — and then sits down at the piano. A somber song that sounds like a death march is the only thing her fingers are willing to play. But she doesn't want the Capitol to hear that she's upset and her mom is sleeping anyway so she retreats to the backyard, unwilling to even do her brooding within range of the surveillance.

She sits on the grass near a patch of soil along the side fence and absently runs her fingers through the dirt. Soil she can control, she can mold to _her_ will. She starts pulling out the common weeds and then retrieves a spade from the basement so she can really make some progress loosening the soil. Maybe she can buy some seeds from the nursery and start a garden… Having an outdoor hobby away from the surveillance is pretty appealing… Doing anything other than thinking about her mess of a life is pretty appealing…

#

When Madge turns up at his house, Gale automatically worries something bad has happened. And true to form, she starts crying before he can even open the door all the way or ask what's wrong. As he takes in her tangled hair, clothes stained with dirt, and general disarray, he's filled with a cold terror that she got caught doing something sneaky – she's always up to something – and that the Peacekeepers roughed her up before realizing she was the mayor's daughter.

"Do you need a doctor? Katniss' mom?" He asks urgently.

She shakes her head and moves into his arms. "I was gardening," she mumbles through her tears, leaving him mystified as to why she's so upset. "I was fine until I got here… I know you don't want to see me, but I really need to talk to you…" She dissolves into tears again and he wraps her in a hug while debating where to take her so she can tell him what's wrong. Talking outside while she's in this state will surely draw unwelcome attention, but it's dinner time and his family is home, no doubt wondering why the mayor's daughter uses their house for her crying fits.

He directs an apologetic glance at his mother and steers Madge toward the back of the house to his bedroom; another awkward conversation with his mom later is a small price to pay to calm Madge down. Luckily his mom looks more concerned than annoyed, and hushes Posy when she asks if they're going to get another basket of food now that the crying girl came over to cry again.

They sit on his bed and it's a solid ten minutes before Madge cries herself out enough to speak. He holds her while he waits, smoothing her messy gardening hair and feeling an ache in his chest that she's suffering this much, whatever the cause. It's a small relief to be able to comfort her and touch her, instead of keeping to a safe distance the way he has been lately, impatiently waiting for his annoying attraction to her to fade. All that danger they'd put themselves in together had probably just artificially amplified his previous awareness that she was… nice-looking… and morphed it into a temporary infatuation. Because out of nowhere he couldn't help noticing ridiculous things like how she chewed her lower lip when she was concentrating and the way her skirts swished when she walked, or wondering how soft all that yellow hair actually was... As he waits for her to stop sobbing enough to talk, he's slightly alarmed to recognize that keeping his distance as a strategy to outsmart the infatuation has failed spectacularly, because now that he's holding her he can't imagine letting go. Or letting whoever upset her like this go unpunished.

When she calms down enough to tell him what the Capitol did to her mother, he wishes he could erase it from his mind, from her mind, prevent it from ever having happened. It's appalling, even for the Capitol, which is saying something. For them to do this to people loyal to them… The thought of anyone hurting his own mother – more than she's already suffered by losing Gale's father – is so horrifying, Gale feels like he understands Madge's meltdown.

Madge finally wipes her eyes and nose with her sleeve, takes a deep breath, and pulls herself out of his arms enough that she can look at him.

"My parents don't really have a plan to get me out of this mess. Gale, I need your help coming up with a strategy. I'm sick of only _reacting_ to whatever new awfulness pops up and I don't want to do anything that will hurt anybody else."

He feels a swell of appreciation: she may lose her cool but she fights back in her own Madgey way. "Let's think," he says, pushing himself back on the bed so he can lean against the wall and pulling her with him, grateful to have something productive to focus on. "The question is what you should do if that Secretary person says you have to go to the Capitol. Option One is to ignore her and stay, but that risks retaliation against the district and your family so it's out."

"My parents think I could get a job or get married here, but I think that would just expose more people to manipulation."

"Right," he agrees reluctantly. He's also considered and rejected the possibility of escaping into the woods. It would have been tough enough with Katniss at his side, but now he's facing the very real possibility of single-handedly having to support both his family and Katniss' family after the Quell… The familiar jolt of dread courses through his body at the reminder of what's looming in Katniss' potentially short future, so he forces his attention back to the threat there's still a hope of avoiding and listens as Madge describes her parents' favored option – hoping she could get a posting in the Capitol that wouldn't involve having to do anything too awful.

"Let's call that Option Two," he tells her. "But it's out. You can't avoid evil tasks when you're working for evil people."

"Option Three is to be a Simon," Madge continues. "Go, and do what he and my dad do: subvert from within. But they both still end up having to do things they don't like."

"Also out." He doubts Madge could stay _Madge_ if she were corrupted the way Options Two and Three would require…

"That's what I thought you'd say," Madge says, smiling slightly. "And it's why I needed to talk about this with you. Because I thought of an Option Four, although it's a little out there… What if I agreed to go, but arranged for an accident to make it look like I died on the way? Like getting run over by a train. Then I could go live somewhere else without worrying about retaliation or having to work for them."

Gale isn't sure he's hearing her correctly; it's beyond absurd. And Madge disappearing completely is not appealing in the slightest. "How could that even happen?"

"Maybe Simon could get some identification papers for me," Madge says, sitting up straighter and looking at him seriously. "He warned me about the training program… What if there are other people like him who could help me?"

The idea sounds preposterous: it would involve trusting first of all that sleazebag Simon and secondly total strangers recommended only by Simon. And even if Madge is alive, she'd be effectively dead to them here in 12. To him.

"That's ridiculous, Madge," he says dismissively.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"An uprising. Option Five."

"Not happening. We may as well add Option Six: the earth opens up and swallows the Capitol whole, getting rid of them."

Gale indulges in imagining the garish buildings of the Capitol disintegrating into a dark pit as endless as the abandoned mine shafts... "That's _my_ favorite. But all of these options are garbage."

"I think exploring Option Four is worthwhile," Madge says slowly. "I'd like to be one step ahead of them for once. Simon's supposed to visit for the Spring Blossom Festival, so I can talk to him in a few weeks. Maybe Haymitch knows people, too."

"I don't like Option Four, Madge," Gale says more forcefully, with a warning note in his voice for her to drop it.

"Do you want me to work for them?" Madge asks impatiently.

"Of course not."

She doesn't respond, watching him with raised eyebrows in an apparent attempt to give him time to catch up to her conclusion that Option Four is actually the best of the terrible options. He scowls at her: he's gets it, he just rejects that there aren't other options. The Capitol is trying to set a snare for her father by using her as bait; he should be able to think of something to out-snare them…

"I thought you would want this," Madge says eventually, sounding hurt. "I could see fighting my parents on this idea, not you."

"You thought I'd want you vanishing to who knows where, never to be seen again?" He's starting to get mad. The prospect of Simon controlling her fate is also revolting.

Her shrug in response may as well have been a punch to his gut. Does she really think he doesn't care if she goes away forever? In a flash of fury over already having lost his father and Katniss to the Capitol, he resolves that he can't lose Madge, too. Even if the Capitol doesn't get to keep her, under the best case scenario they've come up with so far the Capitol would still be forcing her away from him.

Words aren't going to cut it. In a single smooth motion he leans forward and kisses her insistently, trying to convey that actually, he does care _a lot_ if she disappears. He intends for it to be a short kiss – only long enough to make his point – but when she recovers from her initial shock and pushes back just as forcefully against him, he decides longer also makes the point effectively. His anger starts to ebb, replaced by curiosity at getting to explore this aspect of someone so familiar and so, so off-limits. He knows her but he shouldn't, and he especially shouldn't be getting to know her in this new way. To feel her delicate hands tangling in his hair is even more thrilling than he would have expected and to hear her breathing like this is infinitely better than the panicked hyperventilating she succumbs to when she's scared…

He's congratulating himself on his brilliant foresight to have had their conversation on his bed when the squeak of a door intrudes into his consciousness, triggering Madge to hastily back away from him, her blushing skills making a reappearance.

He glances at the door, but nobody is there. Then a little face appears near the base of the door: Posy is crawling on the ground and peering hesitantly into the room.

"Mommy and Rory and Vick are busy, Gale," she says in a pitiful, quiet tone. "Will you play with me?"

"Pose, what's the rule about interrupting?" He asks as he sits up all the way, noticing out the corner of his eye that Madge is subtly trying to straighten her clothes, which he doesn't actually remember un-straightening but which does remind him to pat his hair back into place.

"But I could hear you stop talking."

Gale rolls his eyes at Madge, who laughs despite her evident embarrassment. He can't actually fault Posy's reasoning and has to concede being thwarted by a five-year old.

Posy pulls herself up to her full three plus feet of height. "You said we'd play with the pine cones after dinner, Gale." She looks at Madge and adds, "The crying girl can play, too. But I get to go first."

Madge seems confused, so Gale explains. "Posy's new favorite game is called Pine Cone Tower. It's pretty much how it sounds. And we're not playing because Posy was _just leaving_."

But Posy has already leaped onto the bed next to Madge, effectively pushing Gale away, and starts excitedly describing the rules of the game. "Gale made a frame from wood. You add a pine cone to it on your turn. And if your pine cone knocks the tower over, you have to pick them all up off the floor!"

Before Gale can stop her, Madge walks right into Posy's trap by commenting that she thinks she can manage those rules and then lets Posy lead her away. He makes sure to glare at Madge as she glances back at him; he estimates they could have stayed in his room at least another half hour before his mother would have manufactured some excuse to interrupt. Unless she secretly sent Posy on purpose… His mother is wily like that.

He drags himself off the bed and follows them into the front part of the house, where Madge is standing next to his mother in her knitting chair, no doubt apologizing profusely for making a habit of crying at their house. Rory and Vick are pretending to do their homework, but train their eyes on Gale for some kind of explanation. He shoots them a warning look to not say anything annoying and joins Madge.

"I'm really not this much of a mess, usually," Madge is saying, "I got some very disturbing news today and I needed to talk to Gale-"

"Say no more, dear," Mrs. Hawthorne says, patting Madge's arm comfortingly. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Again, I'm so sorry-"

"Gale!" Posy calls from the kitchen. "The frame is ready!"

He motions for Madge to go appease Posy and then narrows his eyes at his mother and says quietly, "Someone's forcing us to play Pine Cone Tower."

She smoothly picks up her knitting needles. "You did promise Posy a game after dinner…" She glances up at him and gestures for him to fix his hair, confirming that he's not fooling her and that she did indeed send Posy to interrupt them.

Gale slumps into a seat at the kitchen table, thoroughly prepared to sulk, but Posy and Madge both seem so delighted to play this simple, inane game that he finds himself cheering up as well. Madge needs some lightheartedness after the kind of day she had, and it's not hurting Gale, either. Plus, Posy has been developing a competitive streak lately that he finds amusing; she's endlessly challenging the rest of their family to games and making up increasingly complex rules as the games progress. By the fifth round he's having trouble keeping track of all the new rules, which may actually be part of Posy's strategy… He feels a little flare of pride that she's developing these useful skills.

Eventually Posy starts yawning and trying to hide it, which means it's bedtime and that she's moments away from kicking up a royal fuss about ending the game. While his mother wrangles Posy into going to bed, Gale offers to walk Madge back to her house but she ends up convincing him by a whispered conversation at the front door that if they're seen together it could give Redwell's office more ammunition to use against her family and endanger his.

"Besides," she points out with a sly grin, "I'm an old pro at navigating the Seam these days."

He wants to kiss her again, but his beady-eyed little brothers are watching them and if they go outside the neighbors will gossip. And he probably shouldn't have kissed her in the first place. No, he definitely shouldn't have. What was he thinking? No good can come of it other than a temporary, pleasant – _very pleasant_ – diversion from both of their increasingly tortured lives…

After watching Madge walk away until she turns the corner, he sits down on the front step to stare at the sooty gravel, willing his brain to come up with a better solution to her predicament. Something he just hasn't figured out yet. She was right that her parents will hate Option Four – if it ever even comes to anything, which he doubts – and after what she told him tonight about what her parents have had to endure, he doesn't want them to lose her, either. He needs to come up with a decent plan.

The front door opens a few minutes later and in his peripheral vision he sees his mother delicately sit next to him on the stoop. She's silent for a few minutes, and then finally says, "Gale…" Her tone is heavy with the same things he's thinking: 'I thought we talked about this' and 'what kind of trouble are you getting into?' and a little bit of 'sorry, I know this is unfair.'

"Mom, believe me, I know."

* * *

**A/N:** Fluff in an angst sandwich? :( Poor things. On the plus side, Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

Thank you to my awesome reviewers! Flyza, roj, TheNerdiBarbieDoll, the bauble, IsForWinners, Beware of the Nargles, EStrunk, Vanilla Mostly, and epipole – your encouraging words mean so much. Thanks everyone for reading! :)


	18. Chapter 18

Part 18

The District 12 Spring Blossom Festival is usually a fairly low-key event — a few hours of flower-related booths on the town square on a Sunday evening coinciding with the peak bloom of the cherry trees lining the square's perimeter. It's always been one of Madge's favorite district holidays, although this year the festival, like her life and the district generally, seems utterly cheerless. The pale pink blossoms might as well be shriveled, brown, and dead to match the mood of the district.

Officially, the reason a team from the Capitol is attending the festival is to combine a mine inspection with the opportunity to 'bolster relations with the district', and even though Madge suspects the true goal is to ensure no uprisings occur during the large gathering of people, she's grateful the event wasn't cancelled because otherwise she'd have no way to speak to Simon away from the surveillance.

Madge spends the morning helping her mother around the house and anxiously watching from her usual spot in the living room for the Capitol visitors. To her relief she finally spots Simon's lanky frame and nonchalant gait, lagging slightly behind the other people from his office. By the time the group reaches her house, Madge eagerly throws the door open and calls out an enthusiastic greeting to him, which she realizes too late is probably very unprofessional of her.

He smiles broadly in return, not hiding behind smugness for the first time she can recall. "Little Margaret Undersee. You keeping everybody in line around here?"

"Don't I always?"

"That _is_ your special talent, isn't it?" He winks at her as he follows the others into the house where Madge's mother and Lulu are telling the visitors which rooms they've been assigned and Frank is transporting luggage.

"I've taken up gardening," Madge says conversationally. "You should see everything I'm growing. Outside."

He raises his eyebrows. "I'd love to." Clearly aware that Madge wants to talk to him away from the surveillance. But then his face darkens slightly. "I need to talk to you, too."

They don't get an opportunity to visit right away, though, since he and the other Capitol visitors are ushered along to the mines before the festival begins. Despite her attempts to accompany them, Madge's father makes her stay behind to help with the festival preparations. So she coordinates with the musicians and helps set up the various booths on the town square, all the while keeping her eyes on the road for the return of the car from the mines.

Once the festival kicks off, she sees Gale arrive with his family and smiles shyly at him when he looks in her direction. She hasn't seen him since the night she embarrassed herself, _yet again_, by showing up at his house in an absolute state, desperate for his clear-headed perspective. He hadn't seemed to mind, though. To a delightful degree… Posy drags him to the 'Photography and Blossoms' booth and he grins back at Madge before disappearing behind the tent flaps.

Several workers are taking down the stage on the town square, so Madge walks over to find out why. It was supposed to be for Katniss and Peeta to make an appearance — a demonstration of their willingness to be sent back to the arena — but now it looks like that's been called off. Before she can ask the woman in charge what's going on, a familiar voice speaks over her shoulder.

"There were concerns your friends could serve as a flashpoint for potential mobs," Simon explains. "So we released them. We don't want an uprising tonight, do we?"

"Of _course_ not," Madge says mock innocently. She glances back at the remnants of the stage, grateful Katniss and Peeta have been spared the spectacle of acting like being sent to the Quarter Quell is anything other than a death sentence, and then she and Simon walk over to one of the unattended booths so no one can overhear them.

"Well, Madge. Secretary Redwell says she can't wait to see you."

"She'll be waiting a long time."

"I think she's starting to pick up on that… So she sent me to sweeten the deal: I'm authorized to offer your mother a treatment to stop her headaches. On the condition that you accompany her and enroll in the training program immediately."

He hands her two pre-printed train tickets, one for Marilyn Undersee and the other for Margaret Undersee. Destination: Capitol City. _It's happening_. Madge feels an intense pang of wishing she was still the little pig-tailed brat who Haymitch remembers. Pig-tailed brats don't have to deal with stuff like this. She also thought she'd have more time before having to leave, and doesn't respond right away, trying to sort through her panicked thoughts.

"You know they made my mother the way she is, don't you, Simon?"

"I figured it out."

"So why would I trust the people who hurt her to do anything other than hurt her even more? And why would my parents ever agree to this? It's a pretty stupid offer," Madge points out, clinging to logic since emotion is off limits if she wants to stay dry-eyed.

Simon gently grasps her elbow and speaks quietly. "I don't think the Secretary knows that you know about your mother, so the offer may be valid. And as for why – I assume her goal is to put more pressure on your father to keep things under control here."

The blacksmith and his son walk past, so Madge casually wanders over to an empty table strewn with sample seed packets and starts rifling through them until it's safe to speak again. She doesn't even pay attention to what types of plants the seeds are for, though, because she's so confused about why more pressure is needed on her father – they haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary in 12. Maybe there's something more going on than she's aware of…

Simon joins her at the table and starts to speak, but then stops as his eyes shift to focus on something over her shoulder. A moment later she feels Gale standing next to her, warm and reassuring, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back, which is kind of thrilling but which she simultaneously recognizes as a territorial gesture intended for Simon as much as for her.

"Everything all right here?" Gale asks her, favoring Simon with unfriendly glance.

Simon gestures toward the layers of daisy chains on Gale's neck, no doubt Posy's handiwork. "Nice look. Suits you."

Gale quickly rips offending flowers away and glowers in Simon's direction until Madge shows him the train tickets, which prompts him to swear quietly. "There's no date," he points out. "When is she supposed to go?"

"Ideally in the next few weeks. Madge, you realize that at some point she'll stop pretending you have a choice? For now they _may_ actually help your mother. No guarantees, of course, but I haven't heard otherwise. The Secretary may be proposing a trade: your mother for you. She still thinks you can be molded – that you're smart and understand how things work. Which is truer than she realizes…"

"You think I should go?" Madge asks him skeptically. Even Simon seems to acknowledge how terrible it is to have to work in his office – didn't he warn her all those months ago so she could avoid it?

He sighs and seems to be considering the question. "I don't think you have much of a choice at this point. You could help your mother, which is something I wish I'd been able to do. And the training isn't the problem, it's what comes afterward when you're actually working, but I could help you avoid the worst of it…"

"Madge," Gale says incredulously. "Did you ask him yet?"

She takes a deep breath, suddenly worried about asking Simon to take such a huge risk for her, and then quietly describes her escape idea to him. Even as she speaks, Madge can hear how preposterous her proposal sounds, which she sees reflected in Simon's eyes.

"This is the most dangerous and stupid idea I've heard in quite some time — and I encounter a lot of desperate people." He narrows his eyes. "And you want me to spearhead it? Do you know the punishment for forging identification papers? I don't even have access to all the departments, so I'd have to ask other people…" He runs his hand through his sandy hair and exhales sharply. "If I agree to look into this – and I'm not promising it could ever amount to anything beyond wild speculation – then I need you to do something for me."

"What?" Madge asks, a mist of unease settling over her.

"I need to know how your father got to be appointed as mayor."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gale demands.

But Madge is remembering Simon asking her this same question when she first met him during the district-wide celebration after Katniss and Peeta returned from the Hunger Games. She'd assumed his interest was merely gossipy in the same way most of the Capitol types are; now she hears a steel quality in his voice and realizes he's negotiating with her.

"That's my concern," Simon answers. "I just need the information."

"I'm not going to spy on my father for you," she says slowly. "Why don't you just ask him yourself?"

"Because I need _the truth_. He lied when I asked him before. Like everyone does. But he'd tell you, especially if he knew the stakes."

Madge is surprised by how agitated Simon is getting about her father, in contrast to his normally unflappable demeanor. But this – negotiation? – leaves her with a heavy feeling, like she's been betrayed.

"What if the truth is something that makes you not want to help her?" Gale asks, vocalizing Madge's identical concern.

"Then I guess she's out of luck."

"So you getting ahead in your career is more important than my life?" Madge accuses. She knows Simon is no model of morality, but she thought he was better than this and that he considered her more than just a pawn in his game…

"I didn't say anything about my career, did I?" He at least seems offended. "And we're not talking about your _life_, Madge. It's not like you're going into the arena. We're talking about you getting your way the way you probably always do."

Madge is so insulted she can't think of a proper retort; being used as a tool to hurt people is totally different than _getting her way_.

Gale steps closer to Simon, crossing into the 'potentially threatening' vicinity, though Simon holds his ground and doesn't move away. "What is the _point_ of you? Why protect her all this time just to help turn her into a monster?"

"I'm not the one turning anyone into anything," Simon shoots back.

"You are if you don't help her get out of this. What have you actually done so far? Not reported every single thing you heard eavesdropping on her house? Confirmed that your boss really is as cruel as we all already knew? Congratulations, you're approaching normal human decency. Do something _real_ to help her."

Simon stares coolly at Gale. "Are you done?" When Gale crosses his arms and steps back, Simon smoothly swivels to face Madge and says calmly, "_You_ understand how these things work, Madge. I'm here until tomorrow if you or your father want to talk." Then he walks across the square, fading into the dusky light as he heads toward his colleagues from the Capitol.

Gale mumbles something that sounds like "conniving bastard" and slouches against the table with the seed packets.

"I'm worried there's something suspicious about how my father got to be mayor," Madge admits, interpreting Gale's responding grimace as confirmation that he is, too. Technically she hasn't proposed her escape plan idea to her parents yet, fairly certain they would reject it outright, especially after Gale had been so hostile to it. There would have been no point talking to her parents if Simon was unwilling to help her, which now sounds like might be the case…

A sudden loud whistling sound makes Madge flinch, and then the sky above the town square is illuminated with an exploding flower of red, beautiful and slightly menacing. The festival's fireworks show has started, a special treat this year arranged by the team from the Capitol. Townspeople have settled onto blankets on the square to watch the show, but there are still so many Peacekeepers milling around with their guns that the scene is in no way serene. Madge spots her father presiding over the square with his deputies, which means she can't talk to him yet.

"You should go back to your family," she tells Gale, who's watching the sparks over the square transform from red to yellow as they droop downward. "I'm going to wait for my father."

"I'll wait with you," he says, still gazing at the fireworks and the launching area. It's not hard for her to guess that he's fantasizing about weapons – explosives, maybe? – she's seen that look in his eyes before. But she's preoccupied with feeling sad that it's too risky to even do something normal like sit on the town square and watch the fireworks together while waiting for her father. Although, if most people are out on the square maybe they can safely sit in her backyard.

They cut through the Undersees' quiet house, emptied of everyone except Madge's sleeping mother upstairs and darkened so the lights don't detract from the fireworks show. If it weren't for the periodic sharp cracklings and thunderous booms from the fireworks rattling the Undersees' windows and light fixtures, Madge could almost believe it's one of the increasingly frequent nights when she can't sleep and ends up wandering around the house. She's been haunted lately by dreams where sinister doctors who all look like Dr. Hudson crack open her mother's skull and then wheel her around on a gurney through the streets of the Capitol while all the Capitol residents stare at neverending banks of TV screens filled with Katniss and Peeta trying to outrun fireballs and spears…

On the back porch, Madge picks up her basket of gardening tools and leads Gale to the side part of the yard where the garden is. Tiny shoots are starting to emerge from the soil in neat rows, and Madge points out which rows contain which types of vegetables. She can tell Gale is only half-listening to humor her, but she appreciates the effort because talking keeps her mind off all the scary thoughts threatening to assault her if she stops. He watches with a slightly amused expression as she rambles about her recent efforts to stop the slugs from sliming the lettuce. Until his patience apparently wears out.

"This is all fascinating," he says, gently pulling her by the hips so they're standing flush against one another. She thinks she can feel his heart beating, but it may just be hers. As he studies her intently, she feels one of his hands slide just under the hem of her shirt to rest on the skin of her waist and pull her even more closely into him. It's barely anything but it carries the suggestion of so much more…

She freaks out: no way will she be able to leave 12 if he starts deliberately returning her affections. She's so used to admiring him from the distant Land Where Gale Doesn't Think About Her Like That and gratefully soaking in whatever scraps of interest he inadvertently throws her direction – most recently when she lost it at his house and they somehow ended up kissing – that she suddenly doesn't know how she could handle him turning his full focus on her. And from his expression, he's in the process of doing just that. If this is what he can do with his eyes, one hand and a few inches of her skin, she's toast… Not to mention _he's not hers_.

Madge forces herself to step back a few inches to clear her head. "Have you seen Katniss lately? I haven't seen her for a few days. I bet she's glad she didn't have to make an appearance tonight." She knows she's speaking too quickly and at a higher pitch than normal and can't help it.

The effect is immediate: Gale also steps backward and his eyes glaze over with a protective layer of something that could be either hurt or anger or both. It's hard to tell with him, since he so frequently combines the two.

"We all went over for dinner tonight at her house. Quality _family_ time."

She instantly regrets mentioning Katniss after seeing how much it disturbs him, and doesn't know what else to say. He's clearly still bitter about being considered a relative and probably feels as guilty as she does to give in to whatever's between them, even briefly… Madge has deliberately avoided trying to figure out the situation with Katniss and Gale – easy enough since neither talks about it, at least not with her – but she does know there's no ambiguity about the most important facts: the engagement is fake and Katniss has a very clear long-term claim to Gale.

Grabbing a trowel, Madge kneels abruptly in the garden and starts removing all the weeds that are crowding out her carrot and radish seedlings. After a few seconds, Gale picks up a tool as well and wordlessly joins in.

He's kind of terrible at it, she realizes. Maybe he's just not paying attention, but he uproots two carrot seedlings and roughly throws them into the weed pile.

"Those are carrots," she scolds, retrieving them and delicately trying to tuck them back into the soil. "They need to grow longer."

Gale frowns and looks more closely at the pile of weeds between them. "Aren't we harvesting? A lot of these other things you're pulling out are also edible."

"We're weeding to protect the real vegetables." She points out which plants he should avoid, only to receive a glare for her trouble.

"I don't know anything about gardening and I don't want to learn right _now_."

She has a good idea of what he'd rather be doing and turns away from him before her will power evaporates. He's the only person she knows who could possibly make glaring seductive.

"You don't have to wait here with me."

"Yes, I do." Gale makes a huffing sound and leans forward to resume weeding. "And there are much better ways to distract ourselves."

"Where would that get us?" She asks angrily, frustrated he's making this more difficult.

He doesn't answer other than to stab his trowel into the earth next to a thistle, confirming that he knows just as well as she does that it would get them nowhere. They work through the nearest row of seedlings, the silence between them growing thicker now that the explosions from the fireworks have ended. Hopefully that means her father will be coming home soon.

Madge finishes her part of the row and moves deeper into the garden, also conveniently a safer distance from Gale. His hair is flopping into his eyes as he digs and from farther away she can better resist the urge to brush it back. Out of the corner of her eye she sees a couple walking along the road behind the yard and worries momentarily they'll see her with Gale (engaged in the oh so scandalous activity of _gardening_? it's so annoying to have to worry about every little thing), but then she realizes it's dark enough and the garden is far enough away from the road that she and Gale are just shadowy figures. Hiding like usual.

She sits back on her heels and looks over at Gale, who's still forcefully digging. "Gale?"

"What?" He says tersely.

"Do you ever think about how everything we do together is devious? Secretive?"

He pauses and frowns slightly, looking down at the plant he's just uprooted. "Secretive, yeah. For good reason. But I wouldn't say devious as in wrong. Everything we do feels right." He sounds confused at this and tosses the plant into the pile. When he looks up at her she feels a jolt as their eyes connect and is grateful she moved farther away. "Except the part about you leaving. That doesn't feel right."

That part doesn't feel right to Madge, either, but she internally agrees that everything else does _feel_ right, even if maybe it isn't. Working together to try to start a rebellion, whatever's sprouted up between them… Is it a weed, or a little seedling worthy of nurturing?

_It's a weed_, she decides. She was stupid to try to encourage its growth. What did she know? She also believed in a world where people's mothers weren't given painful disorders by the government, where people who seemed like her friend might consider helping her without expecting something in return, where victors of the Hunger Games wouldn't have to go back to fight again…

A shaft of yellow light spreads slowly into the yard, drawing Madge away from her thoughts. As she twists to see its source, she spots her father exiting the house through the kitchen door.

"Madge?"

"In the garden," she calls, waving her arm.

Gale tenses slightly, so she shoots him a weak smile. "Don't worry," she says quietly as she weaves through the plants to stand next to him on the grass. "Even if he's annoyed to see us together, he's about to have much bigger problems." Not that that's truly a comfort… Her parents probably also wouldn't be relieved to know that all the effects they were worried Gale having on her have long since occurred.

Mayor Undersee approaches and looks decidedly uncomfortable to encounter Gale, but doesn't say anything other than a very awkward "Oh, hello there." When Madge starts describing the Secretary's latest offer, he cuts her off, apparently so Gale won't hear about all the wretchedness, but Madge impatiently says Gale knows everything already so her father reluctantly lets her continue.

Her report leaves him looking ill and his reaction progresses to extreme distress when Madge hesitantly describes her escape idea. Her father's expressions cycle through confusion to shock and finally land on anger. To her mortification, he directs most of it toward Gale.

"I suppose this ridiculousness is your idea?"

"No," Gale says calmly. "But I agree with Madge that it's the best strategy for now. It's what she wants to do and it's the least likely to hurt other people."

"Except Madge. And her mother and me."

"And whoever else doesn't want her to leave," Gale adds, triggering Madge to jump in before he can say anything too inflammatory.

"Dad, will you talk to Simon? Tell him whatever he wants to know?"

"So I can facilitate losing my daughter? I think not."

"I can't go, Dad," she says, desperation creeping into her voice. "I can't do what you and Simon do. It will kill me. If I go away, nobody has to be manipulated because of me. Please don't make me work for them."

"Madge, I don't have the patience for this melodrama tonight."

Frustrated he's not taking her idea seriously – the Capitol is the source of all the drama, not her! They maimed her mother! – she demands, "Is the story that bad? Is that why you don't want to tell Simon?"

"That's irrelevant. You're talking absolute nonsense, Madge. It's time to drop this fantasy."

"Sir," Gale speaks up in a firm voice, "she's only asking him to look into the possibility – so she won't end up trapped. Having an exit available isn't the same as actually leaving through it." He pauses as the mayor shifts his focus to glare at Gale, clearly blaming him for influencing Madge, but when Gale sees that the mayor is willing to listen he adds, "The worst outcome is for her to not have any choices."

Mayor Undersee continues to radiate hostility toward Gale, but doesn't say anything and Madge can see Gale's words resonating – her father is trapped without options and is no doubt aware that Gale is as well. Everyone is, by the Capitol's design – which is part of why she wants so desperately to try to outsmart them.

Her father finally turns back to Madge. "Did Simon tell you why he wants to know so badly?"

"No. But he said you lied when he asked you about it before."

Mayor Undersee looks confused and then thoughtful. "I wonder… I need to check on something…" He turns and quickly starts to walk back toward the house.

Madge moves to follow him but is caught by Gale's gentle tug on her hand. "Meet me back here tomorrow night?"

She nods quickly, glancing toward her house. Gale squeezes her hand. "He won't risk you by sitting on information."

"I know, but I'm worried he won't tell Simon because he doesn't want me to leave."

"He'll tell him," Gale says with a hint of sadness in his tone.

Madge smiles gratefully at his attempt to reassure her and then hurries into the house. She finds her father immersed in the filing cabinet in his office, pawing feverishly through yellowing papers, so she perches on the sofa in his study, tormented with curiosity about what he's looking for but with no way to find out because of the surveillance and because he's so preoccupied with his task.

He eventually finds an official-looking document, sinks into his desk chair to read it, and then logs into his data port. Madge hovers nearby trying to figure out what he's looking up, but none of it makes any sense to her – the screen displays a live link to a Capitol database she doesn't recognize and none of the names mean anything to her.

"I'm going to go find him," her father announces suddenly, taking the paper and hurriedly leaving the house, instructing Madge to wait at home.

Since Mrs. Undersee is out of commission, Madge gets stuck with hostess duty, which includes politely entertaining the non-Simon Capitol visitors. She chats with them distractedly about the festival while devoting the majority of her attention to frantic speculation about what her father is doing, if he's talking to Simon, and whether Simon will help her or not. She stays up long after everyone else retires for the night, anxiously looking out the front window for any sign of her father or Simon.

Finally, close to midnight her father returns home. And judging by his expression, not with good news. He shakes his head sadly at her and she feels all her hopes of an escape fade away.

"Where's Simon?"

"Unfortunately, he had to return to the Capitol suddenly on the late train. We'll send his luggage back tomorrow with the others."

It's worse than she expected if Simon wouldn't even return to collect his luggage. Something so terrible he had to leave without saying good-bye…

Which means it sounds like she'll be seeing him soon enough anyway. In the Capitol.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the longer than usual wait for this chapter. The End Is Near for this story and I've had to work out some of the details. Writing lesson #87: Starting something is easier than finishing. (Yes, I'm full of brilliant insights.)

Thank you so much for all the continued support. Mucho gratitude-o to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – EStrunk, TheNerdiBarbieDoll, Beware of the Nargles, Vanilla Mostly, roj, Leia 96, epipole, MorningxLight, the bauble, IsForWinners, Windy D, Flyza, and ReinaBorg. I love hearing what everyone thinks. Internet hugs to you all, and to everyone newly adding/reading. Sorry our heroes are restraining themselves. ;)

Super special extra thanks to the lovely IsForWinners for recommending this story on the Muttations podcast as a Fanfic Pick! Thank you for being such an amazing cheerleader. May your days be filled with flowers and butterflies and puppies. :)


	19. Chapter 19

Part 19

Sitting on the front porch of her house, Madge sullenly watches Frank load Simon's luggage into the car that will take his remaining Capitol colleagues to the train station. The idea of suffering because of something her father did before she was even born burns the same place in her brain that hates the Capitol for forcing the districts to send tributes to the Hunger Games nearly 75 years after the Dark Days.

When the car pulls away, she checks on her mother upstairs. Still asleep. Half a vial, so she'll be out until at least dinner and there isn't much Madge can do to help.

Today's headache had sprung forth while her parents were in the midst of a fierce fight Madge had accidentally overheard. She'd been searching for a hose in the small shed in the backyard before breakfast so she could water her garden and had heard them whispering angrily nearby. Mrs. Undersee had been furious that her husband had attempted to enlist Simon's help without consulting her, ignoring that she'd been so sedated she might as well have been in another district. That had segued into accusations that Madge's father does whatever _he_ thinks is best regarding Madge and isn't he proud that his little clone would rather fake her own death and never see them again than betray her principles? And how could he let that boy from the Seam have more of an influence on his daughter than her own parents?

Madge had been shocked by her mother's harsh words – she wasn't her father's _clone_ and did her mother really want her working for the Capitol, potentially manipulating and harming people, the way she herself had been hurt? And faking her death had been her idea, not Gale's! She knew at least some of her mother's vitriol was due to the after-effects of the previous night's heavy morphling dosage to block out the fireworks, but it was still hard to hear.

Her father had tried to reassure her mother that they could talk about options and that Simon wasn't going to help anyway, but Madge's mother had accused him of letting the Capitol take _everything_ from her. She'd started crying about how the criminals in the Capitol couldn't even keep their one promise to leave Madge alone…

The headache had kicked in soon after that, and as Madge's father helped her mother back into the house and into bed again, Madge's indignation was quickly replaced by a strange mix of sorrow and resentment at the powerlessness inflicted on her family. She zoned out in the shed for a little while, staring blankly at the cobwebs, and then mechanically watered her plants, went inside for breakfast, and helped see off all the Capitol visitors like a good little hostess since her mother wasn't available.

Looking sadly at her mother now, sleeping but not peacefully, she adjusts the blankets and then puts away the Maysilee pictures strewn over the bed – her mother's been looking at them over the past few weeks. Then she sets off for her father's office. All he'd said last night was that early in his career when he was working in District 6 he had been responsible for Simon's mother being arrested and imprisoned. Then one of the other Capitol visitors had woken up wondering where Simon was, so Madge had given up on getting the full explanation until now.

Inside the Justice Building she walks straight into her father's office, where he greets her with a worried expression. "How's she doing?"

"Sleeping."

He nods stiffly and she feels guilty that he's blaming himself for today's headache since it was Madge's plan that triggered the fight. Her father suggests they take a walk and as soon as they're far enough away from the building and the square, he tells her the rest of the story about Simon's mother.

"Professionally she used her maiden name, which is why I hadn't made the connection before. She was working in District 5 and discovered a secret deal between 5 and 6 to bypass selling oil through the Capitol's Central Office of Trade. District 6 exports oil to the Capitol, like we do with coal, and someone in 6 had a deal with someone in 5 to ship directly between the two districts and pocket the savings. That kind of side deal is decidedly illegal – everything has to be authorized and taxed through the Central Office of Trade, even if occasionally direct shipments are allowed. Simon's mother should have reported the side deal, but from the letters I intercepted it looked like she was trying to blackmail her way in on it. So I reported her to the Central Office of Trade in the Capitol.

"What I didn't realize at the time was that both of the mayors in 5 and 6 and their most senior trade ministers were all in on the deal, and that it extended beyond oil shipments. My report triggered an investigation that exposed everyone involved in the scheme, and the president cleaned house and reorganized those remaining… As the one who brought the misdealings to their attention, the president rewarded me with 12, although the Central Office of Trade received the official credit. It wasn't purely a reward posting, though: he wanted my predecessor for another position and since 12 is the farthest district from the Capitol he needed someone he could be confident truly believed in the importance of central authority. It didn't hurt that 12 was inconsequential enough that I couldn't possibly ruin it. Keep the mines producing coal and don't let _all_ the workers die were essentially my orders. In my youthful optimism, I thought I'd be able to experiment with reforms away from scrutiny – to prove that there could still be productivity and peace without brutality… And you know how that turned out."

Madge tries to imagine her father as a young man – difficult, even though she's seen pictures – starting a new job full of hope that he'd be able to help the downtrodden people of 12. Meeting her mother, starting a family… He probably never could have guessed his life would turn out this way.

"That doesn't sound _so_ bad," she observes, thinking about how he hadn't done anything particularly alarming. "Simon's mom was doing something illegal."

"Well, she claimed to be collecting information about the scheme so she could fully expose everyone involved. I don't think that was true and showed Simon copies of her letters, but between that defense and her husband's influence – he had a lot of pull in Capitol circles and I can't begin to imagine how many favors he had to call in – she was only imprisoned for a few years, though I'm sure it wasn't pleasant. I couldn't find much about her once she was released, though at some point their family moved to the Capitol. I did see that Simon's older brother has done quite well within the Capitol network so the family's reputation clearly wasn't tarnished permanently… Having different last names probably helped, and the other family members probably overcompensated with demonstrations of loyalty to ensure their safety."

Madge sighs and thinks of how unforgiving she feels toward the Capitol for harming _her_ mother; she can see why Simon would blame her father for his role, especially if he believed his mother really was trying to expose a conspiracy.

"I thought it would be something more… sordid than that," she says. "But it just sounds like corrupt officials trying to make some extra money. It's not like they were stockpiling weapons…"

"It _became_ more sordid," her father admits. "The investigation morphed into a witch hunt and I'm certain not all of the charges were based on fact. And from the president's perspective the oil scheme might as well have been weapons: his mayors are supposed to be loyal to him above all else, but he had the mayors and the most senior officials in two districts undermining his authority and effectively stealing revenue from the Capitol."

"But, Dad, I thought you liked the idea of more direct communication and trading between the districts."

"I do now, but back then I believed strong central control was the best way to maintain peace. I disagreed with the extreme measures employed to enforce that control, but I did think that a central system could avoid the types of devastating wars that plagued our ancestors before Panem formed – when the precursors to the districts spent all their resources fighting one another."

He shakes his head as though exhausted to remember all these events. "It's what they taught us in school and in the training program… I was their ideal protégé: eager to please my superiors, not inclined to look more deeply into the whys. I saw wrongdoing and reported it. Of course, the mayors involved claimed they weren't personally profiting or trying to be subversive, merely trying to increase efficiency for both districts. Maybe that was true. Maybe it wasn't. The investigation didn't clear anything up because so much of the so-called evidence was fabricated. But there was no disputing that they knowingly broke the trade and tax laws and so they were executed."

"It's so extreme," Madge says, disgusted. She can't say she's surprised, though; look at the Hunger Games.

"We live under a brutal, paranoid regime," her father says wearily. They walk in silence for a few moments and then he adds, "I want you to know all this so you're informed if we can't find a way to keep you from having to go to the Capitol, Madge. I'll do everything I can think of to prevent that, but it's probably become obvious how much is beyond my control…"

Too true. The power imbalance and the brutality – real and threatened – are too overwhelming, and she knows she's stuck on the wrong end of it, as well.

#

That evening, Madge retreats to her backyard garden to battle a snarl of vines in an area she wants to clear for new plantings. The vines have deep roots and tenaciously refuse to budge from the soil, forcing her to yank on them with all her strength, which is actually a good outlet for her aggression and gives her a sense of having accomplished something whenever she dislodges one.

Partially, she's trying to escape the tension in her house. Right before dinner, her mother had come downstairs, walked straight past Madge and her father waiting at the table for her and left the house without saying anything other than that she'd be back later. Madge and her father had eaten their soup in silence and then her father had vanished to his study and Madge had slipped outside to start Operation Vine Removal.

One vine gives her so much trouble that when she finally jerks it out of the ground, she ends up topping backward in a cascade of soil and debris. Bits of dirt land on her face and hair and clothes and she's so exhausted from her efforts she stays lying on the grass staring upward at the newly visible stars in the sky, unsure whether she should feel triumphant or defeated.

Low laughter nearby causes her to look away from the stars, revealing Gale leaning on the fence, watching her with a smirk. "I didn't know you had this violent side. What did that plant ever do to you?"

She sits up and tries to brush some of the dirt off her overalls. "It was in the way. I want to put tomatoes there."

Gale lets himself inside the fence and walks over, offering her his hand to help her up. "Well? What happened?"

She tugs him to the ground, catching him off balance initially although he steadies himself and sits down opposite her on the grass. "Oh, you know, all the standard blackmail, double-crossing Capitol nonsense," she says in a lowered voice as a prelude to the more detailed version of the story, which Gale absorbs thoughtfully.

"So Simon was a dead end?"

"Deader than dead."

"What about those train tickets?"

"My dad told Secretary Redwell that my mother's too ill to travel right now – flashbacks related to my aunt and the Quarter Quell, which actually I think is true – and that he needs me to help take care of her here in 12. He also made up some 'crucial, time-sensitive' project I'm helping him with at work. So, we're holding off for now."

Gale listens with what Madge recognizes as his concentrating expression, which she hopes means he's about to share some brilliant insight into what she should do now that their preferred option is unavailable. What he says surprises her.

"Madge, you could fight." He looks at her and keeps talking when it's obvious she doesn't understand what he means. "If you do have to go, you could sabotage them from the inside. Not just the type of things your father and Simon do, but really _fight_ them. They'll think they're snaring you, but you'd be like… living bait that bit back."

"But – the whole point of trying to get away from them is so I don't have to do their awful work. You just said – _yesterday_ – that if I went to the Capitol they'd turn me into a monster."

"I can't think of a way to get you out of this," he says, frustration straining his tone. "So this is the next best option. If you can't get out of going, go as a… soldier behind enemy lines. You're not a monster if they're not converting you."

Madge can't believe she's hearing this, especially not from Gale.

"What did we learn over the past year?" He continues. "We can't do anything here. If there's going to be a real rebellion, we'll need people who are part of the power structure on our side. Simon was useless, but what if there are people who aren't? Doesn't your father's story show that not everyone in positions of power supports Snow?"

"Yeah: they were executed. And what is _our_ side? You and me and our secret army?"

"Anyone who wants to get rid of them," he says, ignoring her sarcasm. "We know all those districts that had uprisings do. The problem is not being able to talk between districts, but you'd be in a position to do that. Look at Simon – here's out here all the time."

Rationally, what Gale's saying makes sense, although he's relying pretty heavily on a long string of 'maybes.' _Maybe_ she could find like-minded people in the Capitol and _maybe_ they could link up to do something subversive and _mayb_e it would amount to something meaningful… Assuming she's not discovered and killed for her treachery first. But she doesn't like the idea of Gale thinking of her as a weapon he can set loose against the Capitol.

"So I should carry out some brilliant, undefined sabotage, organize a rebellion, and keep my fingers crossed I don't get executed or avoxed? Then if I do, oops, well, it was just Madge."

"It's just an idea," he says sharply. "If this is what we're stuck with, you could treat it like an opportunity. I'd sabotage them in a _second_ if I could."

"I'm not you. I'd probably have a panic attack if someone looked at me wrong." Has he totally forgotten that she's not cool under pressure the way he is?

"You could do it in your own way," he says, watching her closely. "You're the sneakiest person I know, and Madge, _you get away with everything_. I don't know if it's because you're lucky, strategic, or just look so sweet and innocent, but people never suspect you of anything. Simon told us even that evil Secretary person thinks you'll happily work for her."

She still thinks it's unfeeling of him to 'volunteer' her to do the risky type of fighting that _he_ wants to be doing – and would be better at than she would, despite his confidence in her 'sneakiness' – but it occurs to her that she was essentially asking Simon to take huge risks for her in the same way Gale's now suggesting…

She's saved from responding by the sound of the back gate opening. They both flinch, although Madge relaxes slightly when she sees it's only her mother, returning from wherever she was.

They stand as Mrs. Undersee walks over, carrying a small burlap sack and smiling icily. "Hi, sweetie. Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Madge looks at her mother nervously, worried she'll insult Gale, and makes the awkward introductions. Gale warily shakes Mrs. Undersee's outstretched hand.

"It's a pleasure," she says in the falsely polite tone she usually reserves for people from the Capitol.

"Yeah. I mean, likewise," he says, glancing at Madge for help. But she's just as confused as he is.

Mrs. Undersee turns back to Madge and hands her the canvas bag. "Haymitch found a wild raspberry plant in his yard and said you could have it. He'll be… unavailable when the berries ripen."

Madge avoids looking at Gale to see how angry he is at the oblique reference to Haymitch having to watch Katniss and Peeta die in the Quarter Quell and instead peers inside the bag at the plant, wondering if she'll be around when the berries ripen, either. Sounds like her mother isn't considering that possibility.

"Thanks. Did he say anything else?"

"Nothing useful. I thought he might have some more _realistic_ suggestions about what to do."

Madge exchanges a disappointed look with Gale; Haymitch's connections in the Capitol and the other districts apparently won't be of any use.

Mrs. Undersee sighs and Madge initially thinks she, too, is upset that Haymitch isn't able help, but she's actually gazing at Madge and shaking her head. "Sweetie, I don't know what you do in that garden of yours to end up in this state." She gently brushes some of the dirt off Madge's face and shirt. "Your friend is going to think you're uncivilized." Then she turns to Gale and says in a sad tone that it was nice to meet him. "Madge will have to invite you over for dinner some time soon – maybe to sample some of these vegetables."

Gale seems mystified as Mrs. Undersee retreats into the house, but Madge is developing a disturbing theory… Her mother apparently now considers Gale a potential enticement to keep Madge in District 12, the 'slow death sentence' from the Seam he represents suddenly preferable to Madge working for people twisted enough to break the terms of their own deal and offering to trade a mother for a daughter, or to Madge's proposed immediate and permanent disappearance, which isn't happening anyway thanks to Simon abandoning her. Even thinking about her mother considering using Gale in this way makes Madge angry – he and his family already draw enough Capitol attention for their association with Katniss.

"What was that about?" Gale asks suspiciously.

"Nothing," Madge says quickly, not looking at him and not wanting to say anything to betray her mother. Even though she disagrees with the approach, she can't fault her mother for not wanting to lose her only child.

"What do I need to do to get you to _not_ invite me over for dinner?"

"Don't worry, I'll spare you." She can't even imagine a dinner with Gale and her parents; they would all probably implode from the awkwardness.

Gale's grinning at her. "You know, you do tend to get pretty _uncivilized_ when you garden." He brushes some dirt off her shoulder and absently pulls some of the other detritus out of her hair.

"She was complimenting you by saying that about me," Madge clarifies, enjoying the feeling of Gale loosening her sloppy ponytail and shaking out the rest of her hair. A surprising amount of soil falls to the grass; she must look like a swamp monster. "It's just how she is."

"I got that," he says. Madge suddenly registers that she's bracing herself against his chest and that his hands are gently combing through her hair. Some magnetic power has drawn their faces only inches apart. She looks directly at him and he seems to realize what they're doing at the same time she does because he immediately steps back.

"I should go home. Let me know if anything changes."

She nods, biting back familiar disappointment that she knows is her own doing, and then ties her hair back again and returns to battling the entrenched vines. If she imagines they're the creeps in the Capitol it's even more satisfying to rip them out.

#

The days leading up to the reaping pass so quickly it's scary. Gale still helps Katniss and Peeta however he can on Sundays, but the only times he gets alone with Katniss are when she walks him back into town afterward, which takes about ten minutes. The math makes him ill: ten minutes per week, only a few weeks remaining… It hurts to remember how they used to spend the equivalent of several _days_ each week together in the woods… Also painful: how careful they are in their conversations now. Katniss avoids talking about any events occurring after the Quarter Quell and doesn't mention Peeta unless Gale does first. He hears a lot about how annoying Haymitch is and what tricks Prim's been teaching Buttercup.

The remainder of his walk home also takes him past Madge's backyard and more frequently than not she's outside either planting peacefully or waging her own private war against whatever is offending her sense of order in her garden. Usually he'll watch her from the fence until she notices him, at which point she'll walk over and confirm that nothing new is happening – she's stuck in a holding pattern. He makes sure to stay on his side of the fence and not to linger too long, maintaining his own version of a holding pattern.

The week before the reaping is the worst. An intense heat wave settles over District 12, making simple tasks absurdly laborious and leaving Gale in an even fouler mood than usual. So he's not particularly welcoming when Peeta Mellark appears at his house one night.

"Do you have a moment?" Peeta looks nervous and his cheeks are flushed from the heat.

Gale leans out the door, looking for Katniss.

"She doesn't know I'm here," Peeta says.

"How did you know where I live?" He's never seen Peeta in the Seam before, and if Peeta wanted to talk to him away from Katniss he could have done it on a Sunday. Katniss spends enough time squabbling with Haymitch that there are plenty of opportunities when Peeta and Gale are left together. Gale has to admit that as long as they don't stray beyond discussing snares, weapons, or strategies, he doesn't actually mind Peeta. Admires his single-minded dedication to training. But he doubts Peeta is visiting to talk about snares tonight.

Peeta shifts uncomfortably, spared from responding by Gale's mother, who promptly opens the door all the way. "Please, come in. I swear my other children have better manners than this one. Gale, I invited Peeta over. Why don't you boys sit in the living room?"

Gale eyes his mother suspiciously but takes a seat in the living room and waits for Peeta to explain himself. Peeta glances around at the worn furniture and Gale feels a flare of irritation. Old habit.

Peeta takes a deep breath as though he isn't sure how to start what he wants to say. "You know I intend for Katniss to win."

Gale nods; no further acknowledgement of what that means for Peeta is necessary.

"But I'm worried she's doing the same thing for me."

Again, something Gale already suspected. It's also something he doesn't want to hear spoken aloud since that makes it more real.

Peeta pulls out an expensive-looking golden pendant on a chain and opens it to reveal a picture of Mrs. Everdeen and Prim. "I'm going to take this locket into the arena with me as my token. Hopefully it will convince her why she should survive."

Gale leans closer to look at the necklace. He's impressed; it's an insightful strategy, taking advantage of the fact that Katniss cares more about her family than herself and that Mrs. Everdeen and Prim would be devastated to lose her. But Peeta's ignoring the obvious flaw in his plan that Katniss would never be able to live with herself if she consciously let him die. Gale's seen the way she looks at Peeta and remembers how she insisted on bringing him when they talked about running away from 12 – the guy is firmly within her protective sphere. And probably more important than that, even.

"I asked your mom for a picture of you, too," Peeta says, "but she said I should ask you myself. So here I am."

Gale suddenly realizes there are slots for two photographs within the locket and what Peeta's really asking. He feels like someone punched him and leans forward with his head in his hands, momentarily overwhelmed by the enormity of what Katniss and Peeta are facing.

"It won't work," he says when words return. Surely Peeta knows that. Why is he deluding himself?

"I can make it work," Peeta insists with such force that Gale wants to believe him. Peeta can be persuasive, but Gale has even _mor_e confidence in Katniss' force of will. And if Katniss wants Peeta to survive, Peeta can talk all he wants but it won't change her mind.

Posy appears by Gale's knee, holding out the picture she'd made him sit for during the Spring Blossom Festival. "Gale, Mommy said you wanted this?"

Gale glances at his mother in the kitchen, who smiles sadly at him and then returns to her washing. He remembers her urging Posy to drag him into that photography booth and realizes Peeta probably talked to his mother about this plan some time ago. Now that she works for Haymitch and is at the Victor's Village so often she's probably best friends with Peeta; they're both freakishly friendly. And cunning.

When he turns back he sees Peeta wistfully watching Posy, who's in the process of climbing onto Gale's lap. She gets clingy when she senses tension.

"She really looks like you," Peeta observes.

Of course she does; she's his sister. He bites back the urge to tell Peeta he's an idiot and instead hands over the photo. He doesn't bother repeating his pessimism; this strategy is clearly what Peeta needs as his last shred of hope and Gale can't take that away from him. Besides, if there's even the slightest possibility the locket might help Katniss come back, Gale's more than willing to give it a shot.

"Thanks," Peeta says earnestly. "I can have a smaller copy made so it will fit." He examines the photo. "You should smile more often."

Gale glares at him in response. What on earth does he have to smile about?

Peeta smirks and stands to leave. As Gale watches him walk away, the limp barely noticeable anymore, he wishes he could be delusional enough to hope for some kind of repeat of last year's berry trick.

* * *

**A/N:** I meant to update sooner, but things are really busy right now. Thanks for being patient! And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – EStrunk, epipole, Leia96, Miss Scarlett 05, VanillaMostly, roj, freefallingup, TheNerdiBarbieDoll, Beware of the Nargles, the bauble, Windy D, ReinaBorg, and IsForWinners. Appreciate it - always enjoy hearing people's thoughts!


	20. Chapter 20

Part 20

The night before the reaping, Gale doesn't even attempt to sleep. He kills the hours by pointlessly whittling a piece of wood in the living room, trying not to think about how this time last year he was waking up early to hunt and looking forward to surprising Katniss with bakery bread (back when that was a rare treat for her). Those thoughts only remind him that he's already lost the woods and in a few hours he'll lose what little of Katniss he still has.

As the muted gray of morning creeps in through the kitchen window, his mother wakes up and looks disapprovingly at the mess of wood shavings on the floor but limits herself to asking if Gale's walking with them to the square.

"Yeah." Unwillingly. Katniss had declined his offer to wait at her house with her this morning, saying it would be too dismal. She's right, but he still wishes he could get a few more minutes with her. Also, spending a reaping day without her feels strange… so much so that every second reminds him she's the one being reaped.

That afternoon, they all trudge through the thick, humid air to the square, which might as well be the town funeral parlor; the anxious tension that usually accompanies the reaping has been replaced by an atmosphere of somber mourning. In the designated area for friends and family next to the stage, Gale spots Madge in her bright white dress standing near but not with Peeta's friends. As 'family,' Gale has to pass through the Blond Brigade to get to the front so he makes sure to squeeze past Madge, pausing to quietly ask, "Any news?" She avoids making eye contact with him and shakes her head slightly in the negative. He hates himself for noticing how nice she smells and moves away as quickly as he can, relieved she's not leaving him right now too and that he doesn't have to worry about her problems today on top of everything else.

The Mellarks join the Hawthornes in the family section, and eventually the Everdeens, Peeta, and Haymitch solemnly approach from the Victor's Village. Katniss is wearing a dress Gale doesn't recognize, her mockingjay pin, and an expressionless mask. When she glances at him he sees her composure crack slightly but she blinks and shifts her attention back to the empty stage, stillness settling over her features once again.

The reaping passes quickly. As usual, Gale tunes out the reading of the Treaty of Treason, though he does notice how tortured Madge's father sounds and wonders if it's because of the special horror of this year's reaping, or if Gale just doesn't hate the man as much anymore. Focusing instead on Katniss, he tries to plan what he'll say to her in the Justice Building. She already knows he'll take care of her mother and Prim; he doesn't even need to say that. All other potentially emotional topics she's been carefully avoiding, and he's been letting her since that's what she needed to do to cope, but this is most likely the last chance he'll ever have to tell her… whatever comes out…

That he wants her to come home more than anything but that he also understands why she can't make that her strategy. That he both admires and hates how strong she is and how she can bend the world to her will: that same strength kept her family alive after her father's death, wrangled her and Peeta out of the arena last year, and now may be her very undoing because if she dedicates herself to saving Peeta… Well, that's it. Peeta dying through circumstances beyond Katniss' control is about the only way Gale can envision Katniss coming home since it might inspire her to go on a vengeful rampage and win for Peeta's sake to spite the Capitol. But Gale is virtually certain the Gamemakers will rig it so they both die.

He also wants to tell her not to worry about him, that he understands why she's been keeping her distance. That he gets how it confusing it feels to be drawn to two different people at the same time, and how trivial it is in comparison to everything else.

But what he'll actually tell her will depend on what she seems to need, which he won't be able to judge until they're in the room. A hug may be all she needs to 'hear.'

Prim starts crying when Katniss and Peeta are herded off the stage, though everyone else manages to stay dry-eyed, anticipating the waterworks to come in the Justice Building. They all migrate toward the main entrance so they can be admitted to the waiting area like last year—only to be turned away by a team of Peacekeepers spewing some garbage about a new security protocol.

The Peacekeepers might as well have used an oversized shovel to scoop out everything in Gale's torso and shoved him onto the ground to bleed to death the way he's seen so many tributes go… A fleeting glance of Katniss as she was prodded into the building like an animal for the slaughter _can't_ be the last he ever sees of her in person…

The train station. She has to leave from the train station. He waits until the Peacekeepers turn their attention elsewhere and then pushes through the crowd and starts running. The station is only a mile away and if he cuts through the right alleys he can beat the car. This race is the one thing he can control, relying on his knowledge of 12's hidden nooks and his straining muscles to get him there in time.

He knows he could have made it, too, if he hadn't barreled into that Peacekeeper who appeared out of _nowhere_ in front of the alley by the transportation warehouses.

"What's your hurry, guy?" The Peacekeeper grabs Gale's arm and he instinctively attempts to twist away.

The Peacekeeper narrows his eyes and clamps onto Gale more tightly, pulling out a handheld radio with his other arm. "Any disturbances on the square? I've got a potential person of interest fleeing."

"I didn't do anything," he bites out while the Peacekeeper waits for a response on the radio. "_No one_ is doing anything." He stops himself from adding that everyone in 12 has been cowed into submission exactly like the Capitol intended.

"What's so urgent, then?"

Mentioning Katniss probably wouldn't help, Gale realizes. He's blatantly trying to evade the bogus security measures, and the Peacekeepers are undoubtedly hypersensitive to any sign of discontent regarding the outcome of the reaping. He quickly inventories all the ways he could disarm and injure the Peacekeeper and get to the depot before the train leaves. The idiot is patrolling by himself and isn't even guarding his gun properly, preoccupied with his radio and restraining Gale—one uppercut to the jaw would catch him off guard… He's fairly young and probably doesn't have a lot of field experience…

"Well?"

"I'm late to meet a friend." He tries, he honestly tries, to keep the hostility out of his tone… "I really need to go."

"I think what you really need is to be questioned." The Peacekeeper roughly pushes Gale in front of him and marches him back toward the town square, occasionally nudging him with the no-longer-ignored gun. As they walk, Gale calculates the moment when Katniss' car pulls up to the train station, how long it probably takes for her to get settled into her luxurious temporary prison, the final preparations the conductors make before setting off…

He hears the train's departing whistle right when he expects it, piercing him with its finality. Now he'll never know what he was going to say to her or what she was going to say to him.

By the time they reach the town square, the train is long gone and so are most of the townspeople, now that the reaping is over. Obviously no disturbance occurred and any 'questioning' Gale might be subjected to promises to be just as farcical as the reaping was. He numbly wonders if they'll manage to warp this into an excuse to whip him again…

A second Peacekeeper meets them on the edge of the square and confirms that nothing suspicious has happened. "That we know of," he adds. "We'd better proceed with the interrogation."

"What's going on here?"

Gale hears a familiar voice and looks up from the ground to see Mayor Undersee approaching, still wearing his elaborate Reaping Day suit and looking concerned.

"Preventative safety measures, Your Honor. This hoodlum was apprehended running full speed through the warehouse zone. We suspect he has crucial information about a plot. Don't worry, we'll conduct a thorough interrogation."

"What makes you suspect a plot?" The mayor asks skeptically.

"We caught him just minutes after the reaping, most likely fleeing from the town square. Gave us some story about needing to see a friend."

"There was no crime?"

"No, not _yet_."

"So he was running in the warehouse zone."

"Yes, sir. Just a few blocks from the train station."

Gale watches Mayor Undersee make the connection that he was trying to get to Katniss' train; the mayor's face transforms instantly.

"I know this young man to be a model citizen," he says sternly. "In fact, I wish more people in 12 were like him, and from what you've described you have no basis whatsoever to detain him."

"We can interrogate suspects if we have a reason."

"Precisely. And here you lack both a suspect and a reason. You have no crime, and without a crime how can you have a suspect? You have a boy who was running in a location nowhere near the non-crime that didn't occur. Your explanation for detaining this young man is so implausible that it makes me wonder if you intend to stir up trouble merely to justify your presence in my district. I imagine you're aware of the rumors that the central security office is doubting the need for so many squads here and that they're cutting back on overtime? Jones, is it? And Sidwell? I don't think a formal complaint in your files questioning your adherence to protocol would bode well for your advancement. It would certainly place you on Backlisting status while an inquiry proceeds."

Gale doesn't know what the mayor just implied, but the Peacekeepers appear to interpret it as a threat because they glance nervously at one another before trying another tactic.

"Your Honor," the first one says in a concerned tone, "he could have set up a bomb and been running away from it."

Mayor Undersee smiles snidely. "A bomb? Wouldn't it have gone off already, if he was so hell-bent on getting away from it? Or, if on a timer, why draw attention to himself by running away?" He pulls Gale by the arm away from the Peacekeepers. "Far-fetched bomb theory aside, the important matter is that I can vouch for this individual's trustworthiness. I think we can all agree that familiarity with our citizens is the _most_ valuable law enforcement tool. And as you're aware, frequently the simplest explanation is the most accurate: the young man was in a hurry to meet a friend."

"An interrogation might still be useful—"

"It would be pointless and nothing short of a direct violation of the Civil Order laws. If we want our citizens to follow those laws, then we must as well." Mayor Undersee subtly nudges Gale farther behind him. "Gentlemen, I appreciate your dedication to your duties. Good day."

Gale feels Mayor Undersee steer him away from the perplexed Peacekeepers. "You didn't give them your name?"

"No."

"And you weren't doing anything illegal?"

Gale shakes his head, surprised the mayor is asking that _after_ getting him released. "They wouldn't let us say good-bye. I needed to get to the station before the train left…"

"And explaining that would not have done you any favors," the mayor finishes. "Wise. Well, try to limit your running in the future."

Gale nods. He should have known better than to risk drawing attention to himself. "Thanks," he says, focusing on the ground as they walk and wondering if the mayor is going to get any flack for helping him. After a few moments of silence he asks, "Are they really having second thoughts about needing so many Peacekeepers here?"

"Conveniently, nobody knows what the central security office thinks. Especially not those two. Their bomb theory was absurd; they're no doubt bored with this posting and looking for an excuse to stand out. But in the end they're always more concerned about being disqualified from overtime duties, which is what would have happened if I'd lodged a complaint. And the central office is always tight-fisted with overtime."

Gale realizes the mayor just bluffed his way through that entire conversation. No wonder Madge is as sneaky as she is. When they reach the Justice Building, Mayor Undersee claps Gale's shoulder and tells him to take care and be smart. Gale stiffly agrees and then walks down the path toward his house, disoriented at sort of liking Madge's dad.

But his grudging appreciation is soon replaced by pangs of missing Katniss so intensely he doesn't think he can handle talking to anyone, even his family. He finds himself in the District 12 cemetery; if he can't be in the forest outside the fence, he can at least be in this shady, wooded area that he's come to associate with fighting the Capitol. The quiet solitude is interrupted only by the occasional muffled sobs from the families of former tributes visiting their childrens' graves and the clomping footsteps of the patrolling Peacekeepers. Gale sits in front of the markers for his father and Katniss' father, chases away the thought that he'll be visiting a different marker next year, and imagines their fathers looking after Katniss in the arena.

As he stares at the plain stones, his hand curls around the key to the cemetery shed in his pocket. It's always with him in case an opportunity arises to retrieve the last of the medicine, still buried in the shed. He clutches the key so tightly it must be leaving an indentation on his palm, a physical reminder that he still has the same single-mindedness he did when he and Katniss first started hunting together to feed their families. How to direct that energy to prevent any further harm to their families, he isn't as sure, but he still has it. In abundance.

He _will_ bring down those bastards in the Capitol.

#

Opening Ceremony night. Mandatory viewing on the town square. Madge picks her way through the crowd—an even mix of district residents and Peacekeepers—and winces at the harsh, electronic tones of the anthem blasting from the speakers. She finds a seat in an empty row toward the back to match her own emptiness. Her mother is sedated, her father is on the stage, and Madge feels lonelier than ever, especially when she notices Gale's family arrive and sit with the Everdeens in the family section up front. She watches Gale scan the crowd until he spots her, apparently for the purpose of ensuring he can more effectively avoid looking at her because he doesn't turn around again. At least she knows he hasn't been nearly arrested again. Her father has spent most of his energy since the reaping intervening to minimize Peacekeeper harassment of district citizens the way he did for Gale; as he says, the least he can do for his people is to ensure the existing, pitiful protections they do have aren't so blatantly abused.

Finally the broadcast starts. Katniss and Peeta are fierce and amazing on their chariots, their stylists once again making them outshine everyone else. The president's subsequent speech makes Madge feel ill if she pays attention, so she doesn't. Instead she mentally rehearses her favorite piano song, fingers twitching on her lap as she runs through the scales in the most difficult passages. She hasn't been able to practice lately because her mother's been suffering more than usual—calling out for Maysilee and taking higher dosages of morphling. Madge had to hide the Maysilee photographs, but the hallucinations haven't stopped, leaving her anxious that her own resemblance to her dead aunt is to blame.

Before long the commentators are jockeying for interviews with the stylists backstage, a sign that the mandatory part of the evening has concluded. As Madge stands to leave, a parting montage floods the screen with shots of Katniss and Peeta's first Games, post-Games appearances and Victory Tour, and this year's reaping and Opening Ceremony. The images drive home that this is really happening and Madge feels tears start to pool in her eyes. She's desperate to get home before fully losing it, but as soon as she finds a clear path to her house she realizes she can't face the surveillance or her father's staff or her mother's anguish.

She winds up in the darkened, basement stairwell of the community center, just off the town square. The concrete walls and steps are adorned with splotchy mosses and smell of humid summer dankness, but it's a good spot for a private breakdown. She covers her face and cries for Katniss and Peeta and their families, for the pain her mother and Haymitch will never be able to escape, and most of all for her acute sense of failure at having accomplished absolutely nothing to undermine the Capitol. Not only that, but she may have to leave everything she knows and _be one of them_.

He's as silent as ever, so she doesn't realize Gale has found her until he's sitting next to her and pulling her into a hug, which makes her cry even harder because his appearance means he was watching without her knowing.

"We were supposed to stop this," she chokes out, burying her face in his shirt.

"I know." He squeezes her gently in agreement and rests his head on hers as she cries. She appreciates that he doesn't promise that everything will be all right because obviously it won't. They failed and he's the only other person who understands that. All that plotting, strategizing, and risking so much to steal the parcels and medicine… For what? They're worse off than last year. No collection for sponsorship is going to help Katniss and Peeta in the slightest, either.

They huddle in the stairwell for what feels like forever and slowly Madge's tears subside. Focusing on the rhythmic rise and fall of Gale's chest as he breathes helps clear her mind, all the toxic thoughts temporarily quarantined. She can disassociate enough to feel like she did as a kid when she'd run to her mother for a hug after skinning her knee or getting stung by a bee—like being shielded from the hurt is enough.

Gale shifts to wipe his face with his sleeve, which triggers Madge to sit up and peer at him, though it's so dark she can barely make out his features. She thinks she sees a certain shine to his eyes hinting that he's not immune from tears, which startles her—he's the strong one, the warrior. All the same, he shouldn't have to shoulder his pain and hers all on his own. She reaches for his stubble-covered cheek, which is rough and prickly but soft underneath. Like him. Running her thumbs over his cheekbones below his eyes, she leans closer to kiss each cheek, lingering on the last kiss because now that she's this close she's incapable of moving away.

It's enough of an invitation for Gale to turn his head a few inches and meet her lips, slowly severing the last strand on the frayed rope of restraint Madge had been relying on. This failure is theirs together and if they're suffering because of it, they can help each other feel better, too. At least that's how she rationalizes letting herself sink farther into him so she can get lost in not crying, not worrying, and not thinking other than to acknowledge that maybe he did have a point that night in the garden about this being a better way to distract themselves.

Madge has no idea how much time passes, but when she hears boots approaching she realizes they're in danger of violating the new curfew. Gale must hear the boots too because he promptly slides down the rest of the stairs, pulling her with him so they can lean against the wall at the base of the stairwell and better avoid detection. Twin flashlight beams shine into the stairwell, but at an angle that hasn't hit them yet.

"Can you believe this?" One of the voices says in a low tone.

Madge tries to blend into the wall, but the Peacekeeper is talking to his partner, who answers with a low grunt. "Demonstrations in 3, mass arrests in 7… and we get packed off to this dump where nothing happens. Pinch me if I doze off."

"Deal."

As the footsteps recede, Madge sees Gale looking at her with a gleam in his eyes, clearly pleased to hear that other districts are acting up again.

She grins, glad to see him enlivened again. "No wonder my dad thinks the Peacekeepers here are bored, if there's so much happening in other districts…"

"I'd keep them plenty busy if I could," Gale whispers regretfully.

She raises her eyebrows. "You have been."

"For nothing," he dismisses, apparently not counting his close encounter with an interrogation yesterday. She can see him churning through various scenarios in his head about all the trouble he'd like to be causing the Peacekeepers, but eventually he sighs heavily, signaling his awareness that Gale Hawthorne vs. The Excessive Hordes of Peacekeepers wouldn't end well. It would be just as pointless as the people of 12 taking any kind of action when they're so outnumbered…

Madge checks her watch. "You should get home before the curfew officially starts." She squeezes his hand as a good-bye gesture and takes a few steps up to peer tentatively out of the top of the stairwell to see if they can safely emerge, but Gale pulls her back and surprises her with a kiss, which of course she reciprocates.

"You changed your mind…" He murmurs into her ear.

She wants to contradict him, but she's clutching the collar of his shirt to ensure he won't move any farther away and there's no way he can doubt the effect he has on her. So she resorts to technicalities. "I wouldn't say I changed my _mind_. I still don't _think_ we should be doing this." There are still a thousand and one reasons why kissing is Not Allowed, but her body is too weak pay attention anymore. Not when there's so much uncertainty and bleakness in her life and he's like an injection of vitality.

Gale's low chuckle reverberates in her own chest. "You're not very convincing."

She sighs. He's right and they're both terrible. Madge releases his shirt and tries to smooth it so he looks presentable. Well, his clothes at least; she can't do anything about those dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping or the haunted expression shadowing his face now that his amusement at her total lack of will power is fading.

"Be safe," she whispers, wishing she could put a protective bubble around him to keep him from any run-ins with Peacekeepers on his walk home. She remembers what he was like during last year's Games and worries he's even more volatile this year.

"You too," he says, kissing the top of her head softly before climbing the stairs and scanning for Peacekeepers.

#

The next few days slide into a pattern of Mayor Undersee trying to subtly spare the District 12 citizens from being arrested and interrogated for infractions like crossing the street in the middle of the block or inadvertently gathering in groups of greater than two people in the square. Madge starts to worry that the Capitol will notice his efforts, and on the day the training scores are announced her concerns are validated because the Capitol suddenly declares Martial Law in District 12.

"It means they really can interrogate for no reason whatsoever now," her father explains to Madge the next morning. He'll have no grounds to try to minimize the harassment anymore. "And another trainload of Peacekeepers will be arriving shortly. They'll have to sleep on cots in the community center."

Madge doesn't even have a response; the situation is beyond absurd.

"I've never seen anything like this," he continues under his breath as they survey the town square, which is starting to look like a snowy field there are so many white uniforms. "Even during previous crackdowns. The Capitol must really be nervous."

"That we'll do what, watch TV obediently?" Madge asks scornfully as a squad of Peacekeepers march past. They seem to be equally aware that District 12 poses no threats—several have broken formation and are joking with each other. She knows it won't stop them from hassling people, but it does seem like the people in charge in the Capitol are the only ones who think this level of security is necessary.

Madge's father doesn't respond, focused on something else, which she realizes when he says, "Madge…" in a wary voice.

She glances in the direction of his gaze and spots Simon walking toward them. He must have been on the most recent train. His face is blank and Madge clutches her father's arm as though he can protect her if Simon's been sent to retrieve her. But her father seems just as paralyzed as Madge.

Simon stops a few feet in front of them, eyes narrowed. "Well? Where's all that charming District 12 hospitality?"

"Why are you here, Simon?" Mayor Undersee asks.

"I assume you saw the training scores? That's why."

"What do you mean?" Madge wishes he would just tell them if she has to go to the Capitol or not. Katniss and Peeta both getting 12s as scores doesn't have anything to do with _District_ 12—does it? Unless it's some kind of code?

"Supreme secrecy reigns in the training center… until it doesn't. Your friends must have done something that really terrified the Gamemakers, because the second they left the judging area I was sent out here. Officially, I'm ensuring good relations between central administration and the district," he pauses to shoot Mayor Undersee an exaggerated fake smile and then turns to Madge, "but unofficially, Madge, the Secretary said you're to come back with me or she'll terminate all supply shipments to 12."

Madge shakes her head. "That makes no sense. We can't control anything that's happening related to the Quell in the Capitol. We're not doing anything wrong. How could we?" She gestures to the sea of Peacekeepers on the square.

"They have no idea what's going on," Mayor Undersee says softly, as though he can't believe what he's hearing. "They just know they blame us."

"Exactly," Simon confirms. "And that means you lucky Undersees get kicked around until things settle down again."

"Settle down again…? You mean until the victors die and everyone loses hope?" Madge asks.

"That's the plan. As much as they have one. Which, as far as I can tell, they don't."

"We're the example," Mayor Undersee tells Madge.

"Example of what?"

"Whatever the president decides he wants the lesson to be. Unless Simon knows otherwise?"

"Nope, that's about as much as I can make out," he says glibly. "It makes about as much sense as me punishing you for something you didn't do, Madge. I wouldn't want someone coming along in 15 years blaming me for the things I've done this past year working for that monster."

He turns to her father and holds out his hand. Mayor Undersee hesitates and then shakes it for much longer than a normal shake, inspecting Simon closely as though he'll be able to judge from his facial expression whether Simon is being truthful or not.

When he releases Simon's hand, Simon reaches into his briefcase and winks at Madge. "You curious to learn your new name?"

* * *

**A/N:** So this chapter and the next one are basically one long chapter in my brain, but I had to split them somewhere. Which means the next one shouldn't take as long as this one did, although my schedule lately is vile, so... fingers crossed.

Thanks to everyone reading along, new and old! Especially to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: EStrunk, Miss Scarlett 05, ReinaBorg, VanillaMostly, roj, Erica, Medea Smyke, TheNerdiBarbieDoll, Beware of the Nargles, Windy D, Hgteampeeta, and laughingismyhobbie. Thank you, all. :) And a massive bucket of Gale-picked strawberries for Medea Smyke for working through the previous chapters and leaving entertaining reviews.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Hoping "Log-in Meltdown 2011" is finally over...

* * *

Part 21

The evening of Simon's surprise arrival, he and Madge stage a conversation for the surveillance about how reluctant she is to go to the Capitol—Madge wants it to sound believable that she does intend to join the training program despite the coercive circumstances and her hesitance for the past year. It's the best protection she can provide for her parents and the district when she "dies" in a train accident on the way there, as planned.

"I'll miss my parents and my friends," Madge says as they sit at the kitchen table, shuffling through a large pile of papers. She has to bite her tongue from adding that she'll especially miss her _friends who are about to be murdered as a pointless political gesture by a bloodthirsty, morally bankrupt police state_.

"You'll make new friends. And the rush of doing important work and being around the most powerful people in the country is worth it." Simon rolls his eyes and folds one of the papers into an airplane that he shoots at Madge.

She swats it away. "I suppose that's true. And I've already learned almost everything there is to know about 12."

"You'll be joining the elite, Madge. Plus, if you have a job like mine you get to visit other districts—see more of the country."

He slumps back in his chair with a sour expression, looking less polished than usual with his loosened tie and shirt collar. She knows he's assigned to several districts, one of which is 12—he'd requested it so he could investigate Mayor Undersee's possible connections to his mother's scandal—and that the traveling aspect of his job is one of the most difficult to stomach. He'd told her this afternoon that he hit his breaking point recently when Secretary Redwell ordered him to threaten to withhold insulin shipments to one of his other assigned districts because the mayor had questioned her on a tax issue; the mayor had a diabetic child and the Secretary wanted to keep him on his toes. _("You should see the looks on these people's faces when they see me coming," _he'd told Madge._ "Kind of like you and your father this morning."_)

She's grateful Simon came through on the forged identification papers, because the types of things he has to do are even worse than she'd been imagining. One of his first assignments after finishing his training and being assigned to an actual job was listening to surveillance tapes—including those from the Undersee house—and seemingly innocuous details he'd included in one of his earliest reports about some Capitol officials had led to three people being interrogated and executed by the Capitol's secret police. Some kind of political rivalry gone awry, not even anything related to governance. The shine on the prestigious job he'd originally been excited about had dulled quickly. And the more she heard, the more Madge's doubts about whether she could really leave her parents had been squashed. She also didn't think Gale would have encouraged her to go to the Capitol even for sabotage purposes if he knew just how evil the work waiting for her would be.

"Well, at least I'll be able to come home and visit," Madge says, continuing their fake conversation. She almost chokes on the comment, though, since it reminds her that she actually _won't_ be able to visit once she disappears. She's too recognizable in 12 to return unnoticed and her parents are monitored so closely…

"The homesickness gets easier to deal with. So I hear from the people from the districts." Simon flicks one of the papers across the table carelessly and gazes out the Undersees' back window into the inky night. She wonders what he's really thinking about—he's difficult to read, which she guesses is a benefit in the Capitol.

She's distracted from her musing by the entrance of her father, looking tense. "Simon, Reynolds and Auer are still on the teleconference with central security; should be back later." Simon nods, apparently unconcerned about the tasks his colleagues are dealing with at the Justice Building. Mayor Undersee takes in the table strewn with papers. "Did Madge explain everything here to you satisfactorily?"

"Abundantly," he says, perking up. "Did a great job, too—I can see why you needed her to stay longer to finish up this project." The _fake_ project that's been part of her cover story for being unavailable to enroll in the Capitol's training program sooner. "Everything should be in order here," he says, gesturing at the messy piles with a sly smile, clearly enjoying deceiving the surveillance.

Mayor Undersee picks up the paper airplane and raises his eyebrows. "Wonderful. Simon, do you mind running these reports over to Deputy Snyder's house? He wanted to review them before our meeting tomorrow. Madge can show you where he lives."

Her father hands them a folder, but what he's really giving them is an excuse to get away from the surveillance without overusing the excuse of working on the garden, which she and Simon already _thoroughly_ watered and weeded in the afternoon while he filled her in on the plan he'd devised. Simon is exempt from the curfew; he can just flash his ID if they're stopped.

"Did you talk to your mom yet?" Simon asks as soon as they're far enough away from the house, concerned rather than glib now that they won't be recorded.

"My dad did… She didn't take it well." Slight understatement; her mother had fainted and had to be immediately returned to bed. Simon doesn't respond, but she doesn't know what he could say… What she's doing to her parents is awful.

"Do you think… Simon, is there any way I could get that surgery for my mom to reverse what they did to her?"

"Maybe," he says with a frown. "It's one of the reasons I thought District 6 would be a good place for you. They have better medical facilities than most districts and who knows, maybe in a few years you could come up with a plan to help them… or at least your mother…"

Madge makes a vow to herself to get her parents out of 12 as soon as she can figure out a way that won't jeopardize the rest of the district, and to get that reversal treatment for her mom. If she can get away from the Capitol, so can they.

"What happened to your mother?" Madge asks him tentatively. It feels weird to inquire since her father apparently destroyed the woman, even if unintentionally. "After she was released?"

"About like yours," he says dully. "Morphling. Though not for headaches. More bitter, less functional than your mom. My father worked all the time and left my brother in charge of me, and then when he died my brother pushed me into the training program. As a matter of family honor," he adds bitterly.

Madge starts to see why he'd adopted her as his pet project—their family histories are similar enough that with all that time listening to the surveillance, he must have started to identify with her…

"So you don't still blame my father? You're not pretending to help me so you can turn us all over as the ultimate revenge, are you?"

He laughs lightly. "Would I tell you if I were? But no, I'm so tired of it all." She really can hear the weariness in his voice and decides she might as well believe him since she can't stay in 12 and she refuses to go to the Capitol. The risk is worth it.

"Can you quit?"

"I know too much," he says as he sticks his hands into his pockets. They walk in silence for a few moments and then he adds with a sly smile, "Besides, I can do more damage where I am now."

Madge brightens slightly—it's what Gale had been suggesting she do because he thought Simon was too 'useless.' But now it sounds like Simon's changing course. She smiles at the thought of Gale approving of something Simon-related, although thinking of Gale reminds her that telling him she's leaving isn't going to be easy…

#

Once Gale and his family take their seats with Katniss' family on the town square for Interview Night, he does his usual scan for Madge and quickly spots her in a back row by herself the way she was during the Opening Ceremony. It feels wrong to see her looking so lonely. His mother said she stopped by their house last night to talk to him, but he was working a second shift so he could have some time off during the Quell broadcasts. He wonders what she needed to talk to him about—she never seems to turn up with good news…

_Oh. That's what._ Simon appears and slides into the seat next to Madge, moving smoothly like the reptile he is. But Madge doesn't look agitated, and in fact is speaking quietly with him. Calmly… Gale leaps up to find out what's going on, but then the Hunger Games theme music starts and the Peacekeepers make everyone sit down.

Gale tries to catch Madge's attention, but she's engrossed in her conversation with Simon, leaning into him in a way that makes Gale's stomach clench. It's her 'we have secrets to discuss' stance and it's usually reserved only for him… A quick glance reveals that there are other people from the Capitol sitting with Madge's father on the elevated stage—recognizable by their obnoxiously bright attire and disdainful expressions—but Simon's hanging out with Madge in the darkened back rows like a kid who stopped caring about listening to the teacher in school. Gale considers whether it's possible to explode from curiosity, but then he gets a grip and steels himself, solemnly swiveling to face the screen.

The interviews are incredible: most of the victors are delightfully, openly resentful of being sent back into the arena. And Katniss… Katniss is phenomenal. She'd told him about the District 8 refugees she encountered carrying a mockingjay wafer as some kind of revolutionary symbol, though like her he hadn't known what to make of the information. It seemed vaguely helpful, if strange, to think of Katniss representing something she had no awareness of, but it didn't supply 12 with weapons or any other way to end the Capitol's oppression, so Gale couldn't do much with the knowledge.

But apparently it did mean something and Katniss has figured it out. To see her announcing herself as the symbol of the rebellious districts is thrilling and gut-wrenching at the same time. She's ensuring her own death, but there was no way they'd let her survive, so Gale indulges in a moment of pride at how blatantly she's rubbing their noses in the fact that she supports overthrowing them.

He's still reeling so intensely from Katniss' fiery declaration he almost forgets to listen to Peeta's interview, but as soon as he hears the word 'married' he freezes. They wouldn't have… He glances at Prim, who almost imperceptibly shakes her head. Of course; Peeta is a master storyteller. And Peeta tops himself with the story of the pregnancy, which cements for Gale that the story is pure fiction. But no one in the Capitol knows that, and Gale relishes how horrified the Capitol spectators are as they recoil from Peeta's verbal bomb.

When the victors all join hands and stand together at the conclusion of the interviews, Gale starts to think that maybe the Capitol really has finally gone too far, killing off their most popular celebrities as an excuse to eliminate the theoretical threat posed by a couple of kids from the coal district. But then the broadcast feed cuts out, leaving the town square in eerie silence, the seal of Panem looming on the screen like a giant eye. Watching them, like always.

Just below the seal, Gale notices a slight movement on the elevated stage and realizes that Madge's father is standing up, too. Gale shoots to his feet, eager to participate in any form of rebellion, no matter how insignificant. Within seconds the rest of the audience rises, leaving the Peacekeepers confused about how to react—the standing is a show of solidarity with the victors, but what's illegal about it and how can they threaten people into sitting down? Besides, the broadcast is over, so people smoothly transition into quietly departing from the square, successfully having flirted with rebelliousness but evading punishment for it. It feels very Mayor Undersee to Gale… Well-intentioned but not quite enough to change anything.

_Daughter_ Undersee is another story altogether, though, and one Gale needs to hear about as soon as humanly possible. Telling his family he'll meet them at home, he weaves through the crowd to Madge and Simon, seated again and speaking in low tones. Simon is fidgeting with some kind of electronic device in his hands and looks more serious than Gale remembers. Neither hears Gale approach, but they do notice when he sits down in the row in front of them.

Madge looks at him with hopeful eyes. "Wasn't that amazing?"

He nods, as much as it hurts to think that was the last time he'll see Katniss until she's inside the arena. At least the image is how he wants to remember her—defiant and strong.

And now: "Simon, why are you here? Are you taking Madge away?"

"I am," Simon admits calmly, sending Gale's stomach plummeting. He looks at Madge, only to see that she's watching him closely to see how he'll take the news. "Why don't we take a stroll?" Simon suggests.

When they're farther away from the square and the Peacekeepers, Simon quietly explains that the Capitol demanded Madge join their training program immediately but that he has an escape plan for her, developed with the assistance of people recommended by Haymitch and Madge's father.

"Haymitch?" Gale distinctly remembers Madge's mom telling them Haymitch couldn't help.

"He talked to Simon during the Spring Blossom Festival," Madge explains. "Enough to feel out that Simon was hostile to the Capitol."

"We did the dance," Simon explains as though that means something. He reconstructs the conversation: "_'Saw you talking to the mayor's daughter.' 'Cute kid.' 'Chatty, too. Says she appreciates your advice.' 'Is that so?''_" He smirks at Gale. "That dance."

Gale remembers going through a milder version of that with Madge last year—picking up on hints she dropped that she wasn't happy about the Capitol. Obviously she didn't need to worry about that with him, but it did take her a while to figure out Simon was sympathetic to her… Assuming he's not setting her up to get back at her father.

Simon continues with his explanation. "Dancing aside, I didn't know Haymitch was willing to help until his people contacted me later."

"Haymitch probably lied to my mom," Madge says.

"She's a security risk—the morphling," Simon points out. "Haymitch is smart about not revealing more than he needs to. It's the only way to operate."

"She's going to hate him when he gets back…" Madge murmurs.

Gale thinks Haymitch is probably used to people hating him for being involved in them losing their loved ones, and that it likely won't be the first time Madge's mom has hated the guy. Gale suspects he's also on Madge's mom's list of people she can blame for losing her daughter…

Simon continues. "I found a safe place. New name, complete set of identity papers."

"Where?"

"District Six," Madge says, sounding as bewildered as Gale is and looking at him as though he can help her digest this strange news. "When my father worked there he made friends he thought might still be sympathetic to… well, my situation. Simon tracked them down and they've agreed to help me get started out there." Gale thinks she sounds overwhelmed—he would be, too—starting over somewhere completely new without any family or friends and with the awareness that one misstep could mean death or torture for herself or people she cares about. "The train to the Capitol has to pass through District 5, so we can stage an accident in 5 and then I can sneak into 6 since they're so close. As far as the Capitol is concerned, I'll have died in 5."

This plan sounds ludicrous and Gale has to quiz Simon for assurances. "Did you meet these people? How can we trust them?"

"Haymitch's contacts confirmed in advance that they were likely to still be sympathetic. Six is one of my assigned districts so I was able to approach them."

"How can you crash a train?"

"I'm still working on those details," Simon admits. "I have a contact in the transportation department in 5 who can help once we know when we'll be traveling… The Secretary wanted Madge in the Capitol right away, but if your friends make it to the final eight, she'll need to be interviewed, which even the Secretary understands. And there's very minimal travel during the conclusion of the Games, so we couldn't catch a train until the end anyway."

Gale fights a bout of nausea at the implications of what the 'end' of the Games means and has to stop walking to regain his composure. Madge clutches his arm and looks worried.

When he can speak again, Gale asks Madge what she would do in District 6. He can't picture her as anything other than the mayor's daughter. The mayor's subversive, brave, gorgeous daughter, but still, a creature of privilege flitting around the district like she has every right in the world to be wherever she wants.

"Get a job, I guess," she says. "Although, after tonight, I'm starting to wonder if a formal revolt is about to start. Simon and I were just debating it."

Gale feels the same stirring of excitement he did when the victors all stood together. The prospect of an organized rebellion, rather than the scattered uprisings that followed the Victory Tour and are apparently happening now, is exactly what he wants… "Do you know anything, Simon?"

Simon shakes his head. "As far as I can tell, the same ideas are independently occurring to more and more people across the country, but there isn't any cross-district organization. Of course, the people I know in the districts hate me, and in the Capitol everyone is terrified of even the slightest hint of disloyalty. There are surveillance cameras and informants everywhere. People you think are your friends turn on you without warning to advance their own interests by some incremental amount. You'd _love_ it."

Gale makes a grunting sound, still unsure what to make of this guy who's acting like he's going to help Madge. She seems to trust him, and Gale trusts her… It occurs to him that if Simon isn't deceiving them and does learn more about a developing rebellion, he'll need a contact in 12 once Madge leaves. So as much as it pains him to be civil, Gale offers.

"If you need help in 12, you know where to find me."

"Believe me, I'm highly aware of your stance on all this. And actually," he says, reaching into his suit lapel pocket to hand Gale an envelope, "I had identification papers made for you, too, while I was at it."

Gale mutely accepts the envelope, staring at it as though it's a priceless jewel. Inside there are official-looking copies of a birth certificate, travel card, health history…

Five seconds. Maybe ten. For ten seconds he stares at Madge and allows himself to embrace the fantasy that he could start a new life somewhere else fighting the Capitol. It sounds like the country is tantalizingly close to hitting a critical mass of rebellious districts, and he could _fight_ instead of being a spectator… Maybe get some real weapons and _use them_.

But who would take care of his family? And Katniss' family, since she just confirmed tonight that she won't be returning. He looks back down at the papers. They're taunting him: he can't fight even when an opportunity is dropped into his lap.

"Madge said you wouldn't go," Simon observes once it's clear Gale won't say anything. "But hang onto those anyway."

The disappointment is so thick in his throat all he can do is nod and keep staring at the beautiful envelope of contraband promise that he can't fulfill.

Distantly he hears Madge tell Simon she'll meet him back at her house, and then he feels her leading him away. He numbly follows her to a shadowy area between the blacksmith's shop and the hardware store.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly, hugging him. "I told Simon it might be better to not even give you the papers but I remembered what you said about choices…"

"What choice?" He asks bitterly.

She steps back to look at him and squeezes his arms. "I feel better knowing you have those papers. Just in case."

_Just in case what_, he wants to ask—if some magical pixies rearranged reality so he no longer had to be all that stands between starvation and the four, soon to be six, people he's responsible for?

But Madge is free to do whatever she wants… "Madge, you have to fight."

"I will."

He grasps her shoulders and tries to convey how serious he is. "Do it. _Stop them_."

"You know I'll do whatever I can. Including helping 12." He does know; she'll be sneaky and resourceful like always. She's looking at him in her earnest way and he feels a little calmer, slightly more anchored against the alternating waves of hopefulness and despair that have been washing over him all evening. She adds, "Gale, if there are more people like Simon, maybe we're getting closer to the point where the districts will be able to coordinate with each other…"

He tries to be optimistic—that's what he wants, too—but it seems so daunting. Twelve is still tiny and weak and one reptilian guy in the Capitol and one girl working in another district are unlikely to turn anything around. Although maybe the victors have something rebellious planned for the arena… And maybe the districts will truly hit their breaking points… The other districts, that is.

_Everyone else_ gets to do something meaningful while he's trapped in 12. The other districts, Katniss, Peeta, Madge, and even Slimebag Simon.

He focuses on Madge again, who's watching him like he's a bomb that might explode at any second.

"Don't leave without telling me."

She nods solemnly and he wraps his arms around her to hug her tightly, sickened at the reality of never seeing her again. For the next few weeks his life will be unbearable—having to watch Katniss be tortured and murdered on television—and then it will be _even worse_. Katniss will be gone forever, Madge and his hopes of a District 12 uprising will also only be a memory, Katniss' mother and sister will be devastated, and his days will be filled with mining and worrying about his siblings starving or being reaped, hoping he doesn't let them down by getting himself killed in an explosion or a cave-in…

He's drawn away from his morbid thoughts by Madge sliding her hands up his chest to his neck and pulling him closer to her face. Once he figures out what she's doing, he doesn't hesitate to kiss her back and doesn't bother to feel guilty or to worry about what her latest thinking is on whether they're allowed to kiss or not—he just lets himself savor the wonderful sensation of someone wanting him back. _This_ someone. This surprising, gentle, determined someone. _Really_ determined. She'd been tentative at first but apparently warmed up quickly because now she seems like she wants to crawl into him, an idea he encourages by moving his hands to the small of her back and drawing her even closer.

"Gale." He hears her saying his name and it sounds so right he can't believe he won't get to hear her say it more often. Not that he's giving her much opportunity for speech at the moment… She makes a noise that's more insistent so he opens his eyes and rests his forehead against hers, allowing himself a few moments of sharing her air as they both try to catch their breath.

She doesn't need to say it; he knows they're both making it harder for her to actually leave. That as good as it feels to connect in this way, it will translate into more pain later. Or, now: her eyes are starting to look a little watery.

"Don't," he warns.

She blinks, hopefully also absorbing the beginning of the tears, and he takes the opportunity to kiss her one last time, trying to transfer some of his motivation and desire to get rid of the Capitol to her… Because from now on, she'll have to fight on his behalf, too. And then he rips himself away while he still can.

"Find me before you leave," he orders.

He assumes she agrees but he's already walking back to his side of the district. Crying is contagious and he's too angry at the unfairness of _every single thing in his life_ to just accept it by crying, letting the Capitol beat him even further into submission.

#

Madge slumps down along the wall in the alley by herself and cries until she's hollow, and then vacantly stares at nothing while waiting for her eyes to hopefully lose some of their redness and puffiness. This is her life: making out with her friend's whatever-the-hell-Gale-is while that friend is waiting to be murdered on television, preparing to fake her own death and leave her parents behind forever, putting her trust in someone who possibly isn't trustworthy but is better than the alternative, and sitting by herself in a dingy alley to cry.

It's all so absurd that she starts laughing, a little hysterically, and only the awareness that a Peacekeeper might hassle her motivates her to stand up and stumble back home.

Her father and the people from the Capitol, including Simon, are watching the recap in the living room. Mayor Undersee casts a worried glance at Madge. "Everything all right, Button?"

As soon as the words are out, he seems to realize how unanswerable the question is and clamps his mouth shut with a frown.

"I'm going to check on Mom and go to bed," she mumbles. Partly for the surveillance—she's supposed to be tending to her mother—but mostly because she just needs to see her.

Simon surprises her by catching her on the stairs. "Sorry," he says, touching her sleeve gently. "I thought it might help."

"It did." Madge feels better knowing Gale has an alternate identity if he ever needs an escape route the way she did. Of course, he's responsible for so many other people he'll never leave. Madge's parents won't starve if she disappears; they'll just be destroyed emotionally, especially her mother… Gale, too, will probably be upset, judging by how he reacted to the news that she's leaving, utilizing his special talent to convert pain into anger. It seems to cruel to have to hurt the people she cares most about in order to avoid having to hurt people she doesn't even know, but she won't let the Capitol use her for their political murders, schemes, and who knows what else. So that settles the issue.

"Thank you. It's just hard."

Simon nods at her. "Get some rest."

Madge checks on her mother, but she's long since been sedated. The past week has been terrible—Madge can't even remember the last time they had a conversation. Well before the reaping. But at least she can still hug her, which she won't be able to do once she disappears. She crawls onto the bed and curls up next to her mother's lightly breathing form and quietly cries until she drifts off.

* * *

**A/N:** I KNOW, ANGST OVERLOAD. Poor things, I need to send them to a spa or something to make up for torturing them in this story.

Um, so I don't know how this story got to be so long, but thank you all for sticking with it and for being patient that I can't update as frequently lately. Thanks to the lovely reviewers from last chapter—MorningxLight, Miss Scarlett 05, EStrunk, roj, Flyza, IsForWinners, laughingismyhobbie, Medea Smyke, Leia 96, VanillaMostly, corsettes, TheNerdiBarbieDoll, wes1393, ReinaBorg, and SuperJule. I appreciate the support and always enjoy hearing from people. Love to all the new readers and older readers and lurkers, too. :)


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. I feel like I say that every chapter these days, but this delay was due to having to fly across the country for a funeral and then largely because of that, not being able to deal with the darkness of the Hunger Games universe. I ended up rewriting quite a bit and splitting this chapter up as a coping mechanism, which also means that the next chapter is nearly ready and won't be delayed as long as this one was. Thanks again for being patient, and for all the support!

* * *

Part 22

Watching, not watching, eyes open, eyes closed—there's no way to lessen the awfulness of being a Quarter Quell spectator. From his spot on the floor in the Everdeen living room, Gale leans back against the wall and tries to follow the conversation Katniss and Peeta are having with their surprisingly large group of allies about dividing up their bread. After staying up all night watching Katniss evade poisonous fog and killer monkeys, and then putting in a full day in the mines, it's taking all he has to keep himself from melting into the floor. The pace of the Quell is so intense he only lets himself doze off if Katniss is asleep or off screen, and only then if he knows Prim or Mrs. Everdeen are monitoring the broadcast.

Or Rory, since he's joined them now, too, having raced over from the Seam in a panic this afternoon when Prim's voice was screaming at Katniss through a jabberjay. By the time Rory reached the Victor's Village, he was greeted by their entire family's voices joining the taunting chorus and had ended up just as haunted as Prim and Mrs. Everdeen. Gale hadn't even known about the foul birds until he walked through the front door of Katniss' house after his shift and found Rory in the living room, trying to disappear into one end of the sofa while Prim burrowed into her mother's arms at the other end. They all haltingly described how terrible the hour had been, but the Capitol obligingly replayed the 'highlights' several times so Gale didn't have to rely on his imagination. It was like the Capitol had extended the arena to include him personally, to hear the pained cries of everyone he cares most about in the world. He knew from Rory that his family hadn't actually been harmed, but he had Mrs. Everdeen call Madge's house to be sure she was safe since he didn't know how to use the phone.

He nods off but doesn't realize it until the sound of Peeta's voice speaking softly to Katniss wakes him up. They're snuggled together on the beach guarding their camp and Gale quickly recognizes it as the moment he's been dreading: Peeta's attempt to convince Katniss she should live instead of him. Gale's already so empty he's surprised more anguish can be wrung from him, but trust the Capitol to come through on matters related to pain and torture because for a few seconds he can see Katniss waver and actually entertain the idea of coming home, which means he does, too.

Then her classic Katniss resolve returns and she proceeds to shut Peeta up with a searing kiss and goes on to confirm that she does actually love the guy in a way that she's never come anywhere near expressing for Gale. Which he thought he'd prepared for by building up a protective scab around the wound the Capitol's making her inflict on him again and again, but the Capitol keeps finding ways to rip the scab off. And if this is what they've been doing for the past year in the Victor's Village when Gale isn't around, no wonder Katniss can't let Peeta die. Even if it's a recent development, there's no mistaking how real it is.

He can tell Mrs. Everdeen and Prim got their hopes up for a few seconds about Katniss' return as well. They're all united in their disappointment, and, as time passes and it's clear that Katniss and Peeta aren't going to stop kissing and the cameras aren't going to stray from them, they're all united in their embarrassment, too.

There's a part of Gale that's glad Katniss is getting this brief break from the horror of the Games and that she's not playing by the Capitol's rules. The best friend part of him never turns off no matter how many times she (usually unintentionally) tramples on his heart. But most of his energy is devoted to really, really not wanting to see this, and even more intensely wishing he didn't have to sit in the same room as Katniss' mom and sister while watching Katniss and Peeta feverishly grope each other. He suspects they, like him, are struggling with wanting to give Katniss privacy but not wanting to miss even a few seconds of her when she's onscreen.

Mrs. Everdeen, who's been sniffling steadily since Peeta pulled out the locket, gives up first, murmuring something about making tea and shuffling into the kitchen. Rory doesn't seem to know where to put his hands and keeps pulling his feet onto the sofa, forgetting they're not at home and that he should be more careful about other people's furniture, and then whenever Gale elbows him he quickly sits upright politely for a few seconds before the cycle starts again.

Sick of nudging him, Gale finally puts him out of his misery. "Why don't you and Prim play another round of Gopher Den?" Implying that he'll let them know if anything changes onscreen. They'd been playing cards earlier that night during a lull in the arena.

"You sure, Gale?" Prim asks.

It's sweet of her to be concerned about him, but he nods and waves them off. They both seem relieved to have a distraction from the make-out session and retreat to the card table in the corner of the room.

In search of a diversion himself, Gale wanders to the shelves on the other side of the room to find a book he can read, but ends up studying Katniss' parents' wedding picture. Mrs. Everdeen looks so young and happy, it's hard to square her with the weary woman he can hear rattling around in the kitchen. He's always known she moved from town to the Seam, but it seems more real now; he can actually picture what her life in town might have been like and how much she gave up and how intensely she must have loved Katniss' father. But she was just the apothecary's daughter, not the mayor's—

He slams the picture back onto the shelf and steps away from it, as though it might try to convince him to keep thinking about what he was just thinking about. There's no point and it hurts too much. He grabs the first book his hand hits and returns to the sofa to read about medicinal herbs.

But the idea has grown roots. Even flipping through these pictures of plants makes him think of Madge and her garden and how she won't be around to harvest what she planted. How can he be missing her already when she hasn't left yet? He's seized with an intense need to see her again _right now_, but the curfew started long ago so he'll have to wait until the interviews tomorrow to see her.

His mind wanders into reliving the few stolen moments they've managed to collect, and how perfectly she molds into his body and how he can never quite get enough of her. As he mulls the strangely addictive properties of Madge Undersee, his lingering resentment at Katniss for not telling him how she really feels about Peeta slowly evaporates. Katniss isn't very self-aware and has been actively avoiding dealing with the romantic entanglements that the Capitol forced on her before she was ready. She might not have recognized her feelings until faced with the reality of never seeing Peeta again… If so, Gale can relate.

He chances another look at the screen—Panem's favorite couple still going strong—and feels a resurgence of hatred that the Capitol is doing this to Katniss, which simultaneously inspires a tiny sliver of satisfaction that Madge is going to outsmart the bastards. As angry as he is that they're driving her away, at least if he can't have her then neither can they. The way his life has been going lately, he decides to count that as a small triumph.

#

Madge walks into the dining room for breakfast, where Simon and the others from the Capitol are dividing their attention between some printouts and Lulu's famous blueberry pancakes.

"Anything happen overnight?" She asks Simon anxiously. She'd retreated to her room after the evening recap to pack, but ended up staring at the empty suitcase, unable to make even the slightest decision about what to take with her to start a new life. If she couldn't bear to leave her doll collection, how could she leave her _parents_? She'd finally given up and gone to bed, although she didn't sleep much.

"Guaranteed high ratings," he says, looking up from his report.

Madge gasps, certain the Gamemakers inflicted a terrible incident on the competitors. "Are Katniss and Peeta okay?"

"They're alive. Go see for yourself. I'm sure it's being replayed on an endless loop."

Madge runs into the living room and frantically turns on the TV. Within seconds she sees what Simon must have been referring to: a Katniss and Peeta Emotional Moment, with Peeta using pictures of Katniss' mom, sister, and Gale as leverage to stop Katniss from sacrificing herself for him.

Her first reaction is a _totally irrational_ sense of betrayal that Gale wants to marry Katniss. At least that's what she assumes the photograph is supposed to imply. But as soon as she consciously realizes what she's thinking, she's disgusted at the wrongness of her thoughts. Of course Gale and Katniss' family and Peeta would collaborate to convince her to come home… Madge wants her to return, too. And of course Gale wants to marry Katniss if she does survive. They'll probably raise Peeta's little baby together… If there is a baby. Madge had originally assumed the marriage and pregnancy announcement were a stunt—Katniss had been openly hostile about the wedding—but now, seeing them kiss, she wonders if Peeta was telling the truth… Or a version of it. And if Gale knew and that's why he's been kissing her lately…

Madge is slumped into the side of the sofa cushion, still struggling with her reactions, when Simon comes into the room and perches on the sofa's arm.

"See? Ratings jackpot."

She ignores him other than to frown disapprovingly.

"Oh, come on. Nobody's dying," he points out and takes a sip from his coffee mug. "Wonder what the Not-Boyfriend thinks of all this…" Taking in her scowl, he sets down his mug and says, "Look at it this way: now you don't need to feel guilty about lusting after the guy."

Madge crosses her arms and sinks deeper into the sofa cushions. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" He sounds unconcerned and checks his wristwatch. "The interviews were just pushed back and the next live feed doesn't come on for a while, so you have time to keep packing before you have to be on the stage." Simon glances at the TV screen where Katniss and Peeta are still going at it. "Trust me, you won't miss anything. It goes on for a while."

Madge stands up and glares at him as she returns to the dining room for blueberry pancakes, which leave her surprisingly sad: this is probably the last time she'll have them… Lulu seems nostalgic, too, and pats her shoulder comfortingly.

After breakfast, Madge returns to her room and the empty suitcase, its open jaws reminding her of her packing delinquency. She drops in a pair of socks so it's no longer officially empty and then disappears into the depths of her closet to excavate her favorite sweater from winter storage.

While she's digging through the drawers, she hears a soft knock on her bedroom door, which she'd left open. Turning around, she sees Gale holding onto the frames of the doorway and leaning forward into her room, apparently looking for her. Madge cycles through the usual conflicting emotions upon seeing him: gratitude that she can still see and talk to him at all, sympathy that he's suffering so much, and confusion about what's going on between them, all topped off with an icing of awareness that none of it matters.

He's preoccupied with staring sadly at the suitcase, but eventually notices her standing in the closet and steps into the room. "Hey."

She closes her eyes briefly, appreciating the low familiarity his voice takes when he talks to her. It's such a welcome contrast from the mangled version of his voice that had been featured during Katniss' jabberjay torture.

"Hi," she says hesitantly, opening her eyes again. Asking how he's coping would be pointless; it's obvious he's miserable. They all are. Then it occurs to her how strange it is for him to not only be in her house, but in her room. "What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

"I went home to change for the interviews," Gale says tonelessly, as though he's not interested in explaining. She knows he's been watching the Games with Katniss' family, and with the non-stop action this year it isn't surprising he hasn't had time to go home. "But they're postponed. Simon let me in. Said you were packing."

"Oh." So he's killing time until the rescheduled interviews start. Kind of like he was only kissing her because he was distracting himself from Katniss. She's still only an afterthought to him and she doesn't understand why it hurts so much to acknowledge something she's always known.

There is definitely no point in talking about it, though. "I can't figure out what to take with me," she says, walking over to the pitifully empty suitcase and dropping in the sweater she just found.

Now that she's closer to Gale, she notices just how beaten down he is, as though the traumas of the Games are wearing away at him from the inside. And even though she knows she's a low priority for him, she also knows that the part of him that likes her, in whatever capacity, is probably not happy to see her packing and could use a hug.

"I needed to see you," he says quietly, reaching for her waist at the same time she wraps her arms around his neck. Whatever he does or doesn't think of her, she feels calmer through just this simple hug and buries her head in his neck, which is clean shaven and soft and smells like him—like _outside_, even from the short walk from his house to hers.

She doesn't know how much time passes—enough for her to curse the Capitol for the thousandth time and to wish she could pack _Gale_ into her suitcase—but the next thing she registers is him whispering into her ear, "How much can they hear?"

He should win an award for being the Best Whisperer in the World. Best Neck in the World, too. Also Best Jawline… With a flutter of annoyance she realizes Simon was right with his obnoxious lusting comment. She gives Simon extra Annoyance Points for not even pretending he doesn't know so much about her life.

But she isn't sure about the answer to Gale's question—she has no idea how sensitive the surveillance is. "I don't know," she says back quietly. "We could go outside."

He makes a noise that she interprets as declining, which suits her perfectly. She's not interested in moving either, and there are reporters all over town today. They'd have to maintain a respectable distance outside. No thank you.

She feels him running his hands through her hair, which is strangely soothing. Maybe this is how cats feel… "Madge," he mumbles. "How did this happen?"

It's the most wonderful vague statement she's ever heard. If 'this' means him acknowledging he feels something for her more than as a distraction, she'll take it. She's not even offended at his disbelief that he could possibly like her—instead, it's kind of endearing and makes her smile.

She turns her face up to his. "Be careful. Too many compliments might go to my head."

He frowns as though he doesn't understand what she's talking about and then an apologetic smile slowly emerges. "I didn't mean it that way."

It's so nice to see this hint of a smile on him, as opposed to the downtrodden, pained expression he'd been wearing when he arrived. She studies his face, trying to memorize him for later recall once she's left 12. He probably deserves a nomination for Best Eyes as well, since she's giving out awards…

She's barely getting started on confirming his nomination for Best Kisser (not really in doubt, but she's always been a fan of research) when she hears the telltale squeak of the floorboard in the hallway. It gives her enough time to step back, and with relief she realizes the squeaker is only Simon.

"Madge," he calls loudly from the hallway. "I hope you're making a lot of progress _packing_."

"Yes, absolutely," Madge calls back, grateful he gave them some warning. When he appears in the doorway, she smiles sweetly and gestures to the suitcase with the sweater and the lone pair of socks. Gale picks up one of the dolls from her bed and unceremoniously drops it into the suitcase.

Simon rolls his eyes, but she knows he won't scold her on the surveillance. "They're ready for the interviews now."

Within seconds, she sees the worry lines return to Gale's face. Back to the torture. She and Gale follow Simon down the stairs, each step noticeably increasing the tension.

As they're opening the front door, one of Simon's coworkers from the Capitol—a woman with frizzy brown hair and at least five necklaces too many—intercepts them.

"Simon, are you and this one," she nods toward Madge as though she's just another fashion accessory, "catching the afternoon train, too?"

"A train's leaving today?" Simon asks mildly.

Frizzy Hair nods. "Taking Squad 713."

"Huh. Well, Madge and I can't leave yet, unfortunately. We have to stick around in case they want to do follow-up interviews. Isn't that what happened last year, Madge?"

Not at all, but she nods earnestly. Anything that keeps her in 12 longer.

"Safe trip," Simon tells Frizzy Hair as he herds Gale and Madge out the front door.

Once they're on the street, Madge pounces with her questions. "That's the third squad to leave since yesterday. And there were two the day before. What's going on? Did your coworkers finally convince the central security office that the numbers of Peacekeepers here was totally absurd?"

"Maybe. Although I think it's more likely that things must be getting tense in some of the other districts. Central security can't afford to waste squads where they aren't needed. And there are still more troops here than could ever be utilized."

"Which districts?" Gale asks. "Any of the big ones?"

"A mix. I've heard about demonstrations in 3 and 11. And 6, which we'll have to keep our eyes on…" Madge feels uneasy; the idea of relocating to a district actively uprising is a little scary. And what if the uprising means she can't reach 6 and has to go to the Capitol instead? She looks up and sees Simon giving Gale a warning look. "Don't you get any ideas. Even with the departures, there's no shortage of troops here."

Gale doesn't respond, but Madge sees him watch the patrolling Peacekeepers with narrowed eyes. They reach the square, where Simon detours to talk to a few of the reporters who are hovering near the elevated stage. Gale's family minus Rory are already sitting on the stage, and Peeta's family members are walking over from the bakery. The large screen is showing scenes of Katniss' alliance group trudging through the jungle.

"Ready for this?" Gale asks Madge, glancing at the camera crew setting up their equipment in front of the line of chairs on the stage. She also sees him check the large screen before he turns back to her.

"I'm hoping we'll all be so boring it will end quickly."

"They'll probably focus on Katniss' mom," Gale predicts sourly. "To get her reaction to the marriage and baby news. Make sure she's suffering as much as humanly possible."

Madge lowers her voice. "That was fake, right? About the toasting and the pregnancy?"

"It had to be." He sounds like he's trying to convince himself. "She would have told me. Probably." He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "Remember last year's interviews, though? What Peeta said during those ended up being true..."

"Yes, but that was also a strategy," Madge says. "So I thought this was, too, until I saw them on that beach…"

Gale grimaces and she realizes she shouldn't have brought up this topic. He recovers quickly, though. "We can't say anything to undermine it."

"Of course not. Trust me, I can't wait to drive home how sick it is for them to have forced a pregnant girl into the Hunger Games. You saw how the Capitol crowds reacted…"

Gale nods approvingly and she sees his eyes flicker up to the large screen again. Madge notices her father waving at them from the stage, signaling that they need to take their seats.

"You know," she says as they walk over, "You were very helpful earlier. And I might need more help packing. If you get a free moment later."

She's pleased to see Gale have to bite his lip to hide a smile before glancing at her. "Yeah, I think you need _a lot_ of help."

"I'm really rotten at it," she says seriously.

He can't seem to help himself from grinning and holds her gaze. "You're terrible, all right." Then he shakes his head slightly as though he can't believe what she's saying so she flashes him the same innocent smile she used to give her piano teacher when he'd ask why she hadn't practiced the hardest scales (_"Oh! I didn't realize!"_). Who knows if Gale will be able to get back over to her house—but she feels better at the mere fact of getting him to smile again.

Right before they reach the stage, Gale gives her hand a quick squeeze and then climbs the stairs to sit next to his mother. Madge takes her own seat with Peeta's friends and passes the time during the final sound checks by imagining what else she and Gale could have done in her room if the interviews had been delayed even longer.

Finally the interviews start. They're painful, but about how Madge expected. Everybody makes bland comments about how they wish both Katniss and Peeta could return home together, like last year, and how sad it is that their newly created family will be torn apart. As Gale predicted, the reporters spend a lot of time badgering Mrs. Everdeen, who breaks down crying. Gale tries to take some of the attention off her, but after a few too many hostile comments the reporters end up turning off his microphone (_"You look more like the strong, silent type, don't you, darling?"_). Peeta's brothers talk about the elaborate wedding cake they'd planned—large enough for all of District 12 to share—and during her turn Madge goes on and on about how much she was looking forward to Katniss' wedding and how she hopes that if Katniss does somehow survive, the baby won't have been injured by all the hazards in the arena. _("That fog can't have been healthy, could it?"_) In comparison to the powerlessness of sitting and watching the broadcasts, being able to possibly stoke public discontent against the Capitol makes having to participate in the interviews comparatively less awful than the rest of the Quell experience.

When the interviews end, Madge finds Simon waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, smirking. "I can't wait to see how they'll edit all that into something they can air," he says quietly.

"We gave them a lot of material for the tragedy angle," Madge points out. "That seems to be popular this year."

"Ah, yes, the sad tale of the young couple who can never be together. Your specialty."

Madge watches Gale's family start walking with Katniss' family along the road to the Victor's Village, although Gale breaks off and walks toward the mines. He was probably excused only for the interviews; the schools and mines only formally close on the first day or when there's something dramatic happening in the arena that people know about in advance, like a feast. But it seems cruel that he still has to work.

She's so caught up with watching him, she has a delayed reaction to Simon's comment. "Wait. What do you mean, my specialty?"

"Nevermind. Listen, I need to call my guy in 5 about the train situation," Simon says in a low voice. "Those reporters mentioned that protesters were blocking rail tracks in some of the districts. It could be a problem, or it could be something we can use. Cover for me for a few minutes if anyone from my office asks where I am."

Madge nods and watches him walk to an open area where no one can overhear him. All the Capitol people have the same kind of little handheld phones that Simon's using, and conveniently the reception is much better outside so it's not unusual for them to be walking around outdoors as they call back to the central office for additional instructions.

Back home, she checks on the broadcast but the live feed shows that nothing dangerous is happening to the competitors. Katniss' group is dining on shellfish and the Careers are occupied in the jungle. None of which is very interesting so the Capitol is intercutting with footage of the interviews of the family and friends of the final eight competitors. Since Twelve's interviews haven't been added into the mix yet, Madge resigns herself to going upstairs and making some more progress on actual packing.

She estimates that there are probably still a few days left of the Quell—Katniss and Peeta's alliance group outnumbers the Careers at this point, so they'll probably successfully eliminate the Careers with their lightning strategy. And then things will really get disturbing because Katniss and Peeta will have to turn on their allies. The quiet, old inventor who's clearly broken up about losing his district partner, charming Finnick Odair, that vicious girl from the lumber district… With a sinking feeling, she realizes that the end of these Games promises to be more psychologically harrowing than ever before…


	23. Chapter 23

Part 23

The night air is as heavy and warm as it was all afternoon. There isn't even a hint of a breeze; the thick clouds trapping the heat are here to stay. Madge can feel the warmth from the wood through her shorts as she sits on the top step of her front porch, surveying the town square. It's late and nobody is visible on the square other than Peacekeepers enforcing the curfew, although the entire district is no doubt awake, waiting like Madge for the mandatory viewing special broadcast to start. With the time zone difference and Katniss' group's strategy revolving around the lightning that strikes at midnight in the arena, it promises to be a long night. Hopefully not Katniss and Peeta's _last_ night.

The creak of the front door interrupts the quiet, temporarily releasing the TV's chatter from the living room until the door closes again. Seconds later Simon sits next to her on the step and hands her a tall glass of iced tea.

"Cheers," he says dully.

"Yeah." She clinks her glass to his and matches his somber tone. The last few days of the Games are always tough to watch, but knowing that Katniss and Peeta have no idea the Careers are onto their group's electrocution strategy makes the viewing experience even more ominous. And watching everything with Simon's colleagues from the Capitol is no picnic, either.

"Is it starting yet?" Madge asks as she sips the cool drink and appreciates the kick it's providing. She had to leave the living room during the pre-show analysis of each tribute's odds, a special program designed for the Capitol's gambling parlors. The middle-aged guy from Simon's office clearly has money on Brutus and barely makes any effort to hide his enthusiasm at Brutus' efforts to target Katniss and Peeta, even when Madge and her father are present.

"Just about. Ready?"

"No," Madge says, staring at her glass. "I'm not ready for any of it." The end of the Quell, watching her friends die, leaving everyone and everything she knows…

Simon shoots her a sympathetic glance and pats her shoulder, but doesn't say anything else because of the surveillance and instead just helps her to her feet. He's shed his typical suit in favor of a light grey T-shirt—it's so hot out, she doesn't blame him—and the informality makes him look younger. Like maybe he doesn't quite have all the answers. He's good at hiding it, but she knows he's getting frustrated that the details aren't resolved yet about the train accident that will allow her to avoid joining the Capitol's training program. She pushes the concern away, incapable of entertaining the possibility of her escape plan falling apart when it's within reach.

Inside, Madge takes her usual seat next to her father on the sofa to watch Katniss and Peeta's group attempt to carry out their complicated plan. It turns out to be so stressful to watch that she spends most of the time hiding her face in her father's shirt, especially when one of Katniss' supposed allies attacks her and starts hacking at her arm, spilling blood all over both of them. But the attack is interrupted and the girl runs off, leaving Katniss to bleed to death, which apparently is less interesting to watch than active fighting because the cameras quickly shift to Peeta fighting with another competitor elsewhere.

Chaos reigns in the arena. Madge can't keep track of which tributes are breaking or shifting their alliances, and the commentators are more useless than usual—they don't know anything more than the rest of the country and should honestly just stop talking. When the cameras switch back to show that Katniss is alive and stumbling around, Madge dares to hope that Katniss will still be able to save herself or Peeta. It looks like Katniss does have some kind of plan, because she's attaching a knife and that piece of wire her group had been hoping to use to one of her arrows. She shoots the arrow into the air and somehow _causes an explosion_.

The broadcast immediately zaps into a thin line of static.

Madge tries to calculate whether Katniss could have lived through whatever just happened. Peeta was still alive, too. And several of the others. Most likely this is just some kind of technical problem and the broadcast will switch back on in a few minutes, revealing that Katniss finagled her way out of yet another impossible situation.

But after a few moments lapse and the lights in the house flicker and then go dark, that seems less likely.

The darkness is so complete, Madge can't see anyone else in the living room, though she can hear them breathing. In the background the rhythmic clicking of the overhead ceiling fan gradually slows.

"I'm going to check the communications ports upstairs," Mayor Undersee announces quietly, which Simon and his colleagues take as their cue to exit as well. As Madge feels her way to the hall closet for a flashlight, she can hear Simon and the others speaking into their handheld phones, a chorus of variations on "what the hell is happening here?" fading into the night as they all exit through the front door and walk toward the town square where reception is better.

Armed with a pair of flashlights, Madge starts up the stairs to join her father, but within seconds he's already on his way down again. She hands him one of the flashlights as he explains that all communications are down, so he's going to switch over to the locally-controlled backup power feed in the Justice Building and try to get in touch with the central administration office in the Capitol.

Madge stands up to accompany him, but he says sternly, "Stay here, Madge." In a softer tone he adds, "Curfew is still in effect. We don't want any trouble."

Knowing not to protest, she follows him out the front door and sits down again on the top step of the porch, where she can monitor if anything is happening on the square. It occurs to her that no power means that the surveillance in her house is probably disabled as well—not that there's anyone she can talk to, since everybody left and her mother's asleep upstairs. She scans the square, but can barely make out any features—the layer of clouds that have trapped the heat have also blocked the moon, and with the electricity off, the darkness is like a blanket covering the town. Simon and his colleagues aren't visible, and the square is eerily vacant. It looks strange, unfamiliar.

There aren't any Peacekeepers.

Madge stands up for a better view. She hadn't heard of any plans for a mass disturbance, which Gale surely would have been involved in and told her about, so she doubts they're all off subduing a protest. Besides, the entire district has been glued to the broadcast all night, indoors because of the curfew. So where are the Peacekeepers?

A banging sound from within the house draws her back inside.

"Madge!" She can hear Gale's voice, and he's already in the kitchen by the time she crashes into him in the darkness. He grips her arms tightly. "_Madge, what's happening?_ Power's even out at the Victor's Village."

"I don't know." She starts to feel anxious again, hearing how concerned Gale is. "My dad's trying to turn the power back on."

"I think I saw a hovercraft. Flying a few ridges over."

"It didn't come to the landing strip?"

In the low light from her flashlight, she can just see Gale shake his head. "It was cruising along the top of the ridge. And then circled back."

That's strange. The only time hovercrafts come to 12 is to bring people from the Capitol, but travel during the Games is so minimal and there aren't any visits scheduled…

"Did you see any Peacekeepers on your way here?"

"No." He sounds surprised. "I should have, though…"

"There aren't any on the square, either."

Gale brushes past her and feels his way to the front porch to confirm for himself that the square is empty. They find Mayor Undersee's senior deputy, Reg Snyder, on the path approaching the house. He asks for the mayor and Madge explains that her father is trying to get the power back on.

"Did he say anything about why the Peacekeepers are all headed to the train station? Are there some new security orders I don't know about?"

Gale's head turns sharply. "The station?" He looks at Madge. "Where's Simon? And those other people from the Capitol?"

"I don't know. They left when the power cut out…"

"So they're evacuating, too?"

"No, they were just making phone calls... The Peacekeepers are probably being reassigned to another district."

Gale shakes his head, rejecting her explanation. "_All_ of them? No, the Capitol is salvaging anyone they can still use. The rest of us are disposable."

"Don't be ridiculous, young man," Snyder says. "The Quell isn't over. They'll resume the broadcast once this is sorted out."

Madge tends to agree; Gale is probably unstable from having seen what might have been Katniss' death. He has a frantic look in his eyes.

"If it's not safe for the Peacekeepers to be here, we shouldn't be either," Gale insists. At Madge and Snyder's skeptical expressions, he adds, "That hovercraft I saw could have been scouting targets for missiles."

"_What?_" Madge can't believe what Gale's implying. "Are you thinking… _Like Thirteen_?"

"That's absurd," Snyder breaks in. "We haven't done anything."

Gale doesn't seem interested in trying to convince Snyder and instead focuses on Madge. "You saw Katniss' face, didn't you?" He makes it sound like reading Katniss' expressions is as obvious to everyone else as it is to him. "She knew what she was doing, and they'll know it, too. Blowing up the arena isn't like pretending to eat some berries. But she's…" He can't seem to bring himself to say that she's dead, and swallows. "They'll take it out on us."

"But they need us for coal," Madge points out.

"We don't have time to debate this," Gale snaps. "If they're leaving, we should too. End of story. We're easy targets inside this fence." He turns to Deputy Snyder. "Is there an evacuation plan?"

Snyder's eyes are closed and he's rubbing his temples, as though he's trying to block out this conversation. "Of course not. Where would we go? Offer ourselves up as a meal to the flesh-eaters in the forest? And the trains will be at capacity with Peacekeepers."

"Forest it is," Gale says, unsurprisingly. Madge knows he thinks the Capitol made up the flesh-eaters to keep people inside the fence. "The farther away we can get, the better." He looks around at the square. "Electricity's off, we can get everyone through the fence."

Madge can barely process what he's saying and by the time she catches up, he's stopped talking and is looking skyward. She follows his gaze and doesn't see anything, but she does hear a low hum. A whooshing sound of displaced air, slowly growing louder. She slowly realizes it's a hoverplane. The heavily armored variety, blinking red lights partially obscured by the clouds…

A deep booming sound is followed by a burst of orange flames on a hillside just outside the district. Madge stares at the small fire, her feet frozen to the porch. _The ship is probably on some kind of training mission… Twelve hasn't done anything… Her father will be home soon and can explain what's really happening…_

She's distantly aware of Gale yelling something at Deputy Snyder, and then feels herself being yanked inside the house. "We need to go, _now_." Gale is pulling her and she can see Snyder running down the front stairs.

Being uprooted snaps Madge back into alertness. "What? Gale, what?"

He's dragging her through her house to the back door in the kitchen. "That guy is going to tell everyone in town. We're going to get Katniss' family and tell everyone in the Seam. If the pilots can't see well enough to aim, their targeting equipment may be fouled up and it could give us enough time to get the fence down. There's a weak spot near the Meadow." He's speaking quickly, but is much calmer than he was just minutes ago when the idea of the Capitol destroying the district was still only a paranoid idea.

But when what he's saying sinks in, she braces herself against the railing of the back porch and yanks her hand back. "No! I have to get my mother! And I don't know where my father is!" She gasps. "Gale, what if he gets the electricity back on?"

Gale looks furious but torn and glances at the sky again. There aren't any aircraft visible, but Madge knows how quickly they move.

She starts moving backward up the stairs. "I know where the secondary generators are. I'll make sure he doesn't turn them on, and then we'll get my mother and meet you at the fence."

Shaking his head, Gale moves to grab her hand. "No. You're staying with me. You panic, and those Capitol creeps might take you away." He pauses for a second and she can see his mind working through a Plan B. "We'll get Katniss' family and then come back for your mom. Your dad should be back by then. Rory's still at Katniss' house and can run ahead to the Seam."

Madge steps backward again, out of his reach. "There isn't time. You need to start telling people. Gale, if my dad gets the lights on… And we need the fence to be off!"

She sees Gale fighting for some reason to contradict her, but coming up blank. He takes a step up the porch stairs so they're only one stair apart and grabs her shoulders. "If any bombs land inside the district, it won't matter if the lights are on—it means they figured out the targeting. Get out. Come straight to the fence. If it's on, we'll disable it somehow. Understand?"

She nods. He still isn't moving away and seems to be searching her face for something. Probably trying to assure himself she'll be all right if he lets her out of his sight. She smiles weakly. "Don't worry. I never get caught, right?"

A worried look crosses his face but she extracts herself and starts running back into her house, calling behind her, "Go! I'll see you at the fence." She sees Gale hesitate for a second and then bolt out the back gate along the road to the Victor's Village.

Madge skids though the hallways of her house, out the front door, and runs as fast as she can toward the Justice Building, the slap of her sandals on the stones echoing through the still empty town square. She hopes she's faster than any planes that might be following the first one and that Snyder has an effective way of spreading the word about the need to evacuate.

The electric main doors to the Justice Building are closed and she can't force them open. While she's running to one of the manually operated side doors, she hears a horrifying crashing sound behind her. Swiveling, she sees that a bomb landed in the rows and rows of empty chairs set up in front of the large viewing screen. The clatter of chair pieces hurtling through the air and landing on the surrounding sidewalk fills the air. As if in slow motion, the huge white screen, dimly reflecting orange now because of the fire sprouting from the bomb, starts to list and slowly keel over… Madge is suddenly grateful they weren't allowed to watch the broadcast from the square, although if more bombs are coming then they won't all land on empty chairs the way this one did…

_This isn't really happening._ She just needs to find her father. He can explain that this is a scare tactic, not an actual attack. Maybe a few bombs on the town square to make a statement about the Capitol's might.

Suddenly the lights flash back on throughout the town. Only in town, though, not the Seam. It's one of the standard techniques the Capitol uses to cut down on the district's energy consumption: only illuminating the town area. The Seam and the fence are on different power grids. But right now it means that the entire town is a well-lit target. Didn't her father hear the bomb that just dropped? Doesn't he realize the effect the lights will have on the ability of the pilots to hit targets in 12? She needs to get into this building and find him.

A pair of Peacekeepers burst out of the side door Madge had been hoping to use and she ducks behind a large crate so they won't see her. She hears the sickening spray of gunfire, ricocheting bullets, and then hoarse voices yelling at each other.

"Station! _Now!_ Half the lights are good enough."

If the Peacekeepers are responsible for turning the lights on, _where is her father?_ She waits until she can't hear their footsteps any longer and then makes her attempt to get inside through the side door, but it's so shot up it won't open. As she thinks through the other entrances to the building, the ground shakes and a loud boom marks a second bomb hitting the square. Right in front her house. Madge realizes with a sickening jolt that if that bomb had been just a few hundred feet to the west, it would have landed on her parents' bedroom, where her mother is probably so far under she might not even be aware of the bombing…

She needs to get her mother out of the district. Maybe her father is already doing the same thing… He told her to stay home… And Gale told her to get out if the bombs started landing. It wouldn't help to turn the lights off at this point anyway; the fires are already illuminating the town. Fleeing is probably their best bet now; at least the fence is still off.

She starts running back home, praying the fleet attacking them is small. Other people are running on the square as well now, either having heard of the need to evacuate or having figured it out on their own. She collides with Peeta's friend Ernie, who she'd sat next to during the interviews (was that only today? It feels like years ago).

"Ernie! Did Deputy Snyder tell you to evacuate?"

"Yes, or to find a cellar. Does your house have a cellar?"

She nods, but doesn't understand why he wants to know. He darts across the lawn before she gets a chance to ask, and while she's watching him run a bomb hits the apothecary's store, the blast knocking her over. None of the shattering glass or flying wood hits her because she's behind one of the sculptures on the square, but when she tries to stand up again she feels dizzy and stumbles to the ground.

She hears another bomb explode, slightly farther away. Tilting her head, she sees the blacksmith's forge in flames, and probably not because Mr. Murray is working. Looks like the pilots are having no trouble finding targets now…

Where did Ernie go? She can't see him and hopes that means he avoided the bomb. What did he ask her? Something about the cellar… She realizes belatedly that people could take shelter in the cellar from the bombs. Maybe that's why more people who live on the town square aren't leaving their homes—maybe they're in their basements? And her house has the deepest basement so maybe some people are heading there… She pictures how cool and quiet the basement is, and how much she'd rather be there than lying on this grass right now…

A hand pulls her up into a sitting position and she finds herself looking at Simon. He's saying something but she can barely make it out. She isn't sure if the problem is her ears or if the increasing numbers of burning buildings lining the town square are drowning out everything else. She didn't know fires could be so noisy.

"…So follow me."

"Simon?" She blinks and tries to focus on him again. "Where's my dad?"

He shakes his head, trying to pull her into a standing position.

"_Where is he?_"

Simon is yanking on Madge roughly. "We have no protection out here. _Walk, damn it__!_"

She sees blood spattered on Simon's grey shirt and starts to feel sick, sinking to the ground again. "I need to get my mom and dad."

"He's getting her. _We're leaving now_."

A bomb detonates on the bakery, and Simon pushes Madge down behind the sculpture again. She stares in horror at the shattered glass falling from the front window and thinks about how just this morning she saw a nice display of cookies… _Peeta's family!_ She tries to remember if the bakery has a cellar—or maybe they started evacuating already…

Simon starts dragging her to the road off the main square, and when she realizes they're heading away from all the lights—away from the square—she comes to her senses and wriggles away from him, running toward her house. He catches her by the time she's in front of the neighbors' house, and doesn't bother to scold her—just picks her up, unphased by her squirming. His abduction doesn't last long, though, because the second story of the neighbors' house collapses and sends flames and debris into the street, knocking them both over.

Coughing from the dust and the smoke, Madge picks herself up. Simon looks like he'd be trying to murder her if his own coughing wasn't interfering.

"He might need my help with her," Madge pleads. "She's on the third floor."

Simon closes his eyes and she can't tell if he's wincing from pain or is just resolved to having to deal with her, but either way she takes advantage of his inattention and dashes up the stairs to her house, which is thankfully still intact. He turns out to be right behind her, though, and they duck inside the front door just as the community center combusts on the other side of the square.

The lights are on in her house, just as they were before the power cut out. A sick buzzing sound is drifting across the room from the television's salt and pepper screen, but Madge ignores it and races up the stairs to the third floor. The lights are still off in her parents' bedroom, so she doesn't see her father until she trips over him just inside the doorway.

"Dad?" He's face down on the carpet in an unnatural position, and then she notices the blood… She rolls him over and sees that the entire front of his shirt is soaked.

Simon pushes her away. "Get your mom." He puts his fingers on her father's neck and she realizes with horror that he's checking for a pulse. As though her father might not be… Surely he's only injured slightly. Worst case scenario he fainted. That's a side-effect of blood loss, isn't it? Gale fainted when he lost all that blood when he was whipped. Plenty of tributes in the Hunger Games lose blood and consciousness but still pull through…

Her mother. Madge stands to see if her mother is alert enough to walk—carrying both of them will be difficult—but her mother is no longer in the bed. Did she wake up and know to evacuate to the fence? Madge looks around the room and notices a strange pile of fabric near the window. Fabric with brittle, yellow hair sticking out…

She climbs over the bed to where her mother is crumpled on the floor below the window that looks out on the town square, on all the destruction. She grasps her mother and then spots the familiar box. The morphling box. Five empty vials and the needle are scattered on the carpet next to her mother's blanket.

_Five vials…_ Usually only half of one is enough to knock her out for an entire night. Ten times that dosage…

"Mom! Can you hear me?" She starts shaking her mother's limp frame, unwilling to acknowledge that this is a different type of unresponsiveness than she's used to. "Mom, something scary is happening! We need to leave!"

Madge feels a hand on her shoulder, stilling her, and sees Simon kneel and rest his other hand on her mother's neck to check for a pulse. Madge stares at him intently, blocking out the sounds of the fires and explosions trying to invade through the windows. Simon's eyes are focused on her mother's neck and Madge won't let herself blink until she knows.

A lifetime passes. It's only when Simon turns to look at her and she sees his eyes confirm what she suspected that Madge can find the words to croak, "What about my dad?"

"Peacekeepers. Shot him when we tried to stop them from turning the power on after we switched to local control and realized there were already planes overhead. We came back here and he sent me to find you… He thought he had enough strength left to get her out…"

But instead her father died right in front of her mother, who was probably still drugged and could see nothing but fire and death out the window… And Madge wasn't here either…

The house shakes as the building next door erupts into flames that light up the room. Madge can see the oranges and reds through her eyelids before she buries her head in her mother's neck, deciding Simon is just useless at checking for life signs. He's not a doctor, he's a low level official working for a corrupt government. What does he know about medical care?

When he pulls her away she hears someone screaming and suspects it's her. None of her thrashing helps free herself, though, and Simon succeeds in carrying her down the stairs. He's speaking words and they probably make sense but not right now. She always suspected Simon was evil and now he's somehow killed both her parents and is kidnapping her and _she can't let this happen_. The explosions are becoming more frequent and she can barely even hear her own voice over the thundering and splintering…

And then the air becomes polluted again, filled with acrid smoke and the sounds of buildings crashing apart and people yelling. She puts her hands over her ears and wishes she had a way to cover her eyes and her nose, too.

She's standing on her own again. When she opens her eyes, Simon is holding her by the shoulders and his mouth is moving. Is he talking?

"Madge. _Madge_. Focus. If you want to live, you need to listen to me."

Madge shakes her head. Why on earth would she want to live? Her mother had the right idea.

"I need you to stop this. Tasks. I know you're good with tasks. Your job is to do what I say. We're getting out of here, all right? Say yes."

"Yes," Madge whispers, but only because she always does what she's told… Or at least she did until recently.

"Follow me, and _do not let go_. Got it?" He grabs her hand and holds it in front of her face to make the point.

She nods. _Do not let go._ The next thing she realizes, they're picking their way through the debris in the backyard, moving toward the gate. Using her legs again seems to activate her brain and she's able to avoid the burning pieces of wood in their path. If she focuses on putting her feet where Simon's were, she can manage this.

When they reach the back gate, she automatically turns right. "This way," she calls, tugging him in the direction that leads to the Seam. That's where Gale said he would break through the fence; it's their best shot at getting out of the enflamed district.

"No," Simon shouts, pulling her to the left, "this way."

"There's a weak point in the fence—" Madge's explanation gets cut off by a bright light. The first thing she feels is her hand flying out of Simon's by the force of the explosion; the sound follows.

She blacks out before the next sensation registers.

* * *

**A/N:** One more chapter. I had this ready yesterday, but could not in good conscience post it on Mother's Day. :( Happy belated Mother's Day to the moms out there, and thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The feeling is familiar to Gale: a singular focus on only what's necessary to secure the minimum for survival. When his father died, he barely even mourned because he was so preoccupied with his mother giving birth to a screaming, hungry infant and with having to take care of his two brothers who were so scared and defenseless they might as well have been confused little kittens. The month's worth of 'compensation' awarded to their family was an insult. His mother thought so, too, which is why she was looking for work so soon after delivering Posy. Gale was out in the woods within the same week, setting up snares his father had taught him and willing as many animals as possible to die at his hands.

He's doing the same thing now. Willing animals to die. Big ones, preferably, because their meat goes further, but small ones are welcome to expire before him as well. He's got hundreds and hundreds of hungry people and virtually no hope of feeding all of them, but he keeps going. Mostly out of habit.

His only acknowledgment of the horror of the past night is to deliberately keep his back to the still-smoking remains of District 12. He's _not_ thinking about all the harrowing, progressively more disturbing trips back into the district through the night to rescue the injured, the trapped, and the almost-dead. That final, gruesome sweep once daylight returned to be sure they hadn't missed anyone—surely just injured slightly or trapped under some of the rubble from collapsed buildings (_the mayor's house_) or hiding in the safety of the Victor's Village homes (_no luck_)—had nearly destroyed him. He kept ending up back at her house to overturn just one more hunk of charred, ash-covered debris, and finally one of the miners who specialized in tunnel rescues had to pull him away, citing pointlessness and the instability of the wreckage. Gale may have punched the guy, but he doesn't really remember through the blur of swirling ash and smoke and arms dragging him and voices yelling at him to stop—

_Not thinking about it._ He'll think about all that later when he can't help it. Maybe. Right now he has to teach these people how to skin a rabbit and show the next group how to empty and re-set a twitch-up snare.

#

He'll never admit it, but he faints when they tell him on the hovercraft to 13 that Katniss isn't actually dead. Only for a second and he didn't actually _fall_, it was more like he _leaned_ against the wall briefly. But fine, yes, his vision blurred temporarily. That's bound to happen when you don't eat anything for three days straight after surviving the annihilation of your home at the government's hands.

Katniss isn't dead, but she's a disaster. Damaged. They all are, every single person who was dragged or dragged themselves out of 12 past all the burning bodies, flaming buildings, and splintered wreckage. Katniss is damaged differently—betrayed, used without permission, missing something (_someone_) vital to her… But she'll survive. He'll make sure of it. That's what they do, he and Katniss: survive. And keep their families alive. It's been their joint mission for years.

_Mission accomplished, Catnip_, he thinks ruefully as he sits in the medical bay of the hovercraft, waiting for her to emerge from her drug-induced sleep. He's never felt like more of a failure in his life and suspects Katniss can relate.

One thing he knows for sure is that now that their families are safe, they have a new mission: overthrowing and destroying the Capitol. And he's done failing.

#

There are so few fair-haired people in 13, and so few town inhabitants from 12 who escaped, that whenever he sees a blond head, he can't help himself from hoping for just a microsecond it's her, that she reached 13 some other way… Even though he knows better. Prim breaks his heart on a regular basis until he programs himself to remember she always wears a braid and is much shorter.

Once he gets his family moved into their compartment in 13 and actually starts to believe that they really are going to be fed regularly (for nothing!), the images and thoughts he's been suppressing start dislodging from the corners of his mind. Sometimes they sneak up on him like ghosts softly tapping his shoulder, but usually they knock him over with a club…

That feeling of dread that grew steadily heavier as other people from town—but not her—started arriving at the fence. The panic of not being able to go back and look for her once the firebombing spread to the Seam, igniting entire blocks and burning people alive as they screamed for him and the others to get the fence down faster. The frantic dash to the lake to outrun the fires that had spread to the trees outside the fence. Backtracking as soon as humanly possible, making a thousand horrible choices along the way to not help the struggling, limping, mutilated people in between him and her house.

Mutely absorbing the horrible image of the top half of her house missing, the rest barely visible through the red and yellow flames and black smoke. Ignoring the fierce heat as he ran into the yard, yelling for her even though she could have been anywhere in the district because _he stupidly let her run around _when there were _bombs falling from the sky_ instead of keeping her with him.

Freezing in shock at the distant sight of Simon's body, sprawled at a disturbing angle near her garden. Not realizing Orey had trailed him until he was being pulled back, barely out of range of the bomb that knocked both of them over and impaled Orey's leg with a metal firepoker, leaving a jagged, gushing gash. Hauling his unconscious friend back to the lake to Katniss' mom, praying he wouldn't become one more casualty. Frantically returning to Madge's house only to find it had been leveled and transformed into a massive funeral pyre, wreckage spilling from the yard into the road…

He couldn't even get to where he'd seen Simon to properly bury him. Simon had been Gale's last hope: even if he was a Capitol slimebag, he seemed to have had a decent streak when it came to Madge and might have had some trick up his sleeve to get her out of 12. Maybe he'd even been part of the rebellion and hadn't told them…

Not that it matters anymore. And not that Gale feels any less blameworthy.

#

It really hits him when some sap tries to compile a list of the dead. Seeing 'Margaret Undersee' third, right below her parents' names, knocks the air out of his lungs and leaves him wishing he could punch someone. The obvious target is the list-maker, a pasty-faced merchant girl named Delly who looks like she's never gone hungry in her life. He hates her on principle for being the wrong blond-haired, blue-eyed town girl.

It's possible he doesn't handle the situation well. He demands she change the list to read 'Madge' instead of Margaret and when Delly tries to explain that Margaret was Madge's official name, he overreacts; a glare would have made his point just as effectively as biting the poor girl's head off about Madge not liking her formal name. She meekly agrees to fix Madge's name and Gale considers the near certainty that he is a Bad Person for momentarily wishing she had died instead of Madge.

Adding to the girl's crimes, she doesn't have any useful information about Madge's fate. Like the other survivors from town, she can recount only total chaos and confusion. That fool from Madge's father's office who was supposed to spread the word about the evacuation was apparently useless and actually told people they would be safe in their cellars. No miner would ever voluntarily trap himself like that, and no one with any sense would _sit and wait_ for the Capitol to destroy them… Gale wants to be furious, but there's no point; he hasn't seen that guy amongst the survivors. So he channels his excess rage toward the Capitol, and conveniently, that actually means something now.

Peeta's entire family is on the list, too, which reminds Gale that Peeta would be better off dead compared to what he's probably enduring as the Capitol's prisoner. He walks away from the list with the despairing knowledge that as much as he's suffering, Katniss always seems to have it worse.

That evening during _18:00 - Reflection_, his thoughts are filled, despite his best efforts, with images of a beautiful, brave girl who died in a firestorm. He buries his face in his pillow to hide his tears and pretends to sleep, but his mother notices and herds the rest of the family out of their compartment, touching his shoulder gently as she leaves. In the echoing silence that follows, thoughts he knows are useless keep assaulting him, like how Madge was tempting fate by saying she never gets caught. How worried he was that standing on the Undersees' back porch with her would be the last time he'd ever see her and how badly he wanted to kiss her before she ran off, but stopped himself because it would have seemed like a permanent good-bye and he couldn't let that be even a remote possibility.

And he keeps thinking about kissing her _and she's dead_ and is that sick, that he wants to kiss a dead girl? Only he doesn't actually want to kiss a dead girl—he wants her to be alive and curled up next to him on this bed, smiling at him in her gentle, trusting way, and leaning into him the way she does right before she kisses him, when he feels her soft breath mingling with his and he gets so lost in whatever that scent is in her hair or skin that he temporarily believes she's all that matters in the world. Instead, what he gets when he closes his eyes are images of her burning or trapped, asking him why he couldn't save her. Not accusing—that's not like her—but confused, like she can't believe he let her down. He can't believe it, either.

_She was supposed to break free from the Capitol._ She was supposed to outsmart them. Knowing how close she came to succeeding somehow makes it even crueler, but the true worst of it is that if he hadn't failed her, she could be here with him _right now_ plotting ways to win the war, like they'd done all year but for real. She could have helped the rebel leaders strategize ways to disrupt the Capitol's supply shipments—she knew about that stuff from working in her father's office. If her parents had survived, they also would have been huge assets.

And he and Madge both had those identification papers Simon had made them! Since he's fantasizing anyway: they could have gone on undercover missions with their alternate identities—Madge would use her gift for sneakiness and Gale would do the quick thinking if they got caught… Like in the Justice Building back home. They'd get away with whatever it was, and then they would slip off somewhere private to celebrate their successes, even though they wouldn't _have_ to hide anymore because they'd be free from the Capitol's twisted control and here in 13 there are no such things as divisions between town and Seam or mayor's daughter and miner. They would seek out dark corners just for the fun of it…

He sighs and pushes himself into a sitting position to lean against the wall, slightly disgusted that he keeps indulging in these kinds of thoughts. Plus, in reality he's nowhere near field-ready and had to turn over his false identification papers during Intake. He told anyone who'd listen that he wanted to be involved in rescuing Peeta, and despite his dubious status as a hero of 12, he hasn't heard of any plans yet. His best connection to the upper ranks, Haymitch, has been locked away in detox since they arrived.

Climbing off the bed, he opens the top drawer of the dresser and pulls out the one personal memento he was allowed to keep during Intake: the key to the cemetery shed where he and Madge used to meet—it was in his pocket like always when he escaped. The authorities in 13 wanted to recycle the metal, but he convinced them to let him keep it as a sentimental item. He cuts a few thin strips of leather from the top of his boot to make a necklace for it. If he keeps his shirt buttoned up all the way, nobody will notice he's wearing an unauthorized personal accessory. He just needs this evidence that she existed and that she mattered, and the cold, constant reminder against his skin that he can't let anyone else down.

When he's finished making the necklace and has collected himself enough, he leaves to meet his family for dinner. He lets Posy sit next to him and tell him stories about what she misses most from home. Her favorite rag doll, Mr. Bunny, didn't make it out of 12, either.

"He helped me feel better when I was sad," she tries to explain, looking up at him with eyes that have seen too much. "So how can I feel better without him helping me?"

He hugs her and says that at least she still has their mom, brothers, and him. But he understands her point all too well.

#

_Soldier Hawthorne_. It sounds good. And weapons training is a dream come true. All of the military training, actually, but learning how to use real, deadly weaponry is magnificent. Training and the other classes also become a welcome distraction from the mess that constitutes the person he formerly knew as Katniss Everdeen.

The real Katniss is still in there, popping out occasionally and often only for him, so that's somewhat encouraging… But so much of the time she's unconscious the way Madge's mom used to be—not participating in the world—or doing strange things like hiding in supply closets and staring at walls. Her mother and Prim are healthy and safe, which is why Gale guesses Katniss allows herself to indulge in this behavior. Maybe she can't help it. Whatever the case, he finds it disorienting and spends a lot of time worrying about her, but he also knows instinctively that his undemanding presence is a comfort and a reminder of normalcy for her. Like when they were younger and could spend hours together in a blind without speaking, passing a thermos of hot tea back and forth whenever they needed to warm up. Words were Peeta's specialty, anyway. (_Are_. Are his specialty.)

It takes a trip to 12 and Peeta's appearance on a Capitol propo to convince her, but Katniss finally agrees to be the Mockingjay. When they let her be herself, he can see why she'll inspire the rest of the country, and he feels renewed hope that they'll win this war. Most of the time, though, she struggles through each day and he starts to notice how they aren't as in synch as they used to be. Their disagreements now feel more like actual fights that they never really resolve, just mutually gloss over afterward. And their second trip back to 12 is awful for countless reasons—over seven thousand, to be precise—but one of which is that he and Katniss are barely on speaking terms during what should have been a day when they could draw strength from one another. She's furious with him for not telling her about Peeta's second propo and he's mad right back at her for not even trying to understand why he had worried that confirmation of Peeta being tortured might trigger her to relapse into a zombie state, which she seems to forget is how she's spent most of her time in 13.

And he honestly was not looking for more proof of how she didn't want him, but there she was, kissing him in the kitchen of her house because he was mourning what they could have been if not for the Capitol and what they can never be as long as Peeta is captive. He knows she was just trying to make him feel better, but it backfired and reminded him that she doesn't want _him_, she wants him _to not feel bad_. He can't even blame her for being confused—the Capitol apparently made screwing with her emotional reactions their number one national security priority—but the fact that she doesn't care enough to try to understand is frustrating.

After that, Gale finds himself at the District 12 cemetery, not missing the irony of the entire district being a cemetery now. The cemetery shed is still there behind the gravestones, badly charred and with all its contents burned—he doesn't need the key around his neck to gain access, but he grips it anyway. He remembers there's still a crate of medicine he and Madge hadn't been able to retrieve after the Peacekeepers started patrolling so heavily, and starts digging through the blackened, ashy soil with his bare hands until he hits the familiar container.

Hefting it out of the ground, he explains to the camera crew that he and "the other District 12 rebels" (might as well imply they were something more than Gale Hawthorne and Madge Undersee) had been stockpiling food and medicine for an uprising, and their efforts were only thwarted because, unlike the Capitol, they cared about their fellow citizens and distributed the supplies to keep people alive when the Capitol cut off shipments to the district for absolutely no reason in the middle of winter. The producers in 13 will love any bombast he can muster, and the story doesn't undermine 12's image as the innocent victim of the Capitol's cruelty because the infant underground movement didn't accomplish much. The other districts can also undoubtedly relate to having their food supplies arbitrarily terminated. He wonders briefly if Katniss will ask him for more details when she sees the footage, but that would require her to be even minutely curious about him, which she doesn't seem to have the mental energy for lately.

Cressida motions for him to keep talking, but he doesn't know what else to say. He's drained from the onslaught of memories of That Night and hates the cameras; he's only tolerated this much filming because it's directly supporting the war effort. So he looks away and starts digging through the container of pills, some of which aren't expired and could be used in 13. He thinks about how surprised he was to discover that Madge had started moving the leftover parcels here on her own, and how shocked he was when she suggested they steal the medicine from the Justice Building. By the time he learned she'd also distributed nearly everything during the security crackdown without getting caught, he thought he should have been used to how she operated but he'd been surprised yet again…

Somewhere in that crate he finds the words to keep talking, and glances back at the camera. "Not all the other rebels in 12 survived the bombing, but they deserve credit for putting their lives on the line, even though we didn't have much hope of success. I know it can feel that way in other districts, too. But that spirit is exactly why we're going to win."

He believes it: if there are Madges in the other districts, the rebels can defeat the Capitol. Katniss is essential as the symbol and the spirit of the revolution, but equally important are those people being inspired by her, fighting block by block in obscurity in the districts and taking over Capitol-controlled buildings and supply lines... Or acting like Madge did That Night and knowingly endangering herself to increase the chances of others escaping.

He's so caught up in his thoughts, he doesn't notice Cressida speaking until she asks the question a second time. "Soldier? Any last messages for your fellow rebels in the other districts?"

"Yes," he says as trains a steely gaze on the blinking red light next to the lens. "The Capitol kept the districts separated, but we do all have something in common: they stole people we loved from us." In his case, through mine explosions, the traumas of the Hunger Games, and murder by firebombing… "It ends now. We owe it to those we lost to win this war."

He knows he doesn't have the same inspirational flash that Katniss does, but he knows just as well how widespread the Capitol's evil is. The entire day's footage has been a reminder of that. He slaps the lid shut on the crate, picks it up, and retraces his steps through the graveyard past all the ghosts.

* * *

THE END. SORT OF.

**A/N:** So, this story has been my attempt to fit Gale/Madge into canon, inspired by my frustration with both of their fates in Mockingjay. Originally, the idea ended where this story does: Gale fell for Madge in 12 and her death contributed to how extreme he becomes in Mockingjay. I figured that even if Madge died, she had influenced Gale in good ways that would help him better deal with the aftermath of the war. Neither explanation was necessary, but they fit. And then the idea evolved… Since Katniss' POV narration leaves a lot of wiggle room, I decided that I could continue weaseling Gale/Madge into canon by saving Madge and trying to give them both happier endings than SC did. So there will be a sequel to this story where Madge lives. (And she might not be the only person who appeared to die but didn't…) Things that seemed like loose ends will be resolved in the next story, but this one ends here for thematic and chronology reasons. [Update: I started the next story; it's called "On What Grounds" and can be found on my profile page.]

Thank you all SO MUCH for reading and for sharing your reactions with me. I sincerely appreciate the feedback and have enjoyed chatting with so many of you in reviews and PMs. And thank you as well to those without accounts who I haven't been able to thank personally (or whose accounts don't accept PMs; the Review Reply feature has been broken for a while, ARGH). Thanks again for all the support and for sharing the Gale/Madge delusion with me. ;)

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Edited in April 2012 to add: 1) I wanted to share a couple of songs that go along with this story and especially this chapter. First song: "How It Ends" by DeVotchKa - I couldn't mention this song before this chapter because it would spoil the ending, but it's beautiful and haunting and fitting. Second song: "World Spins Madly On" by the Weepies - aww, poor Gale. (I hadn't heard this song until after I wrote this story, but Medea Smyke brought it to my attention and it's scarily perfect.)

2) Please take a moment to review. There's a strange tension in the fanfiction world between authors wanting reviews for the encouragement to keep writing (it makes a HUGE difference, believe me), and readers preferring to invest in reading completed stories - yet once a story is completed barely anyone reviews. :( So, if you appreciate completed stories and enjoyed this one then please leave a review.


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